Max Abmas scored 19 points and Dylan Mitchell added 14 points and 11 rebounds as No. 18 Texas shrugged off a slow start and rolled to an 86-59 win over Delaware State on Friday in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns (2-0) led by nine points at halftime and were up just 57-50 with 10:13 to play but then forged a 27-2 run to dispel any notion of a comeback for Delaware State.
Mitchell and Abmas had six points each in the spurt and Tyrese Hunter contributed a dunk and a 3-pointer. A 3-pointer from Chris Johnson gave Texas an 84-52 lead with 2:11 to go.
Ithiel Horton added 18 points for Texas while Hunter had 13. The Longhorns shot 58.6 percent from the floor in the second half and wound up at 52.8 percent for the game. They hit 12 of their 22 3-point attempts on the night.
Delaware State’s Jevin Muniz led all scorers with 21 points. Brandon Stone added 14, with Martaz Robinson hitting for 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
Delaware State scored the game’s first four points and led 9-6 after a 3-pointer by Muniz. The Longhorns rallied to the lead with a 5-0 run capped by Chendall Weaver’s jumper from beyond the arc.
The teams then traded the advantage until Texas moved up six on a jumper by Mitchell with 8:47 to play in the half. The Longhorns expanded the margin to 31-22 on a breakaway dunk by Hunter with 4:03 remaining and carried a 39-30 lead into the break.
Horton led all scorers with 12 points before the halftime as Texas survived committing 12 turnovers, one fewer than it had in the entire game in its season-opening win over Incarnate Word.
Stone paced the Hornets with 10 first-half points. Delaware State outscored the Longhorns in the paint 16-8 over the first 20 minutes, 28-24 overall in that category.
–Field Level Media
