Freshman phenom Tre Johnson scored 19 points to lead five Texas scorers in double figures as the Longhorns dismantled Chicago State 105-58 on Tuesday in Austin, Texas.
The game was all but decided in its first 10 minutes, as the Longhorns (2-1) rushed to a 24-4 lead while going without a turnover and forcing six from the Cougars. Texas led by 32 at halftime and by 53 after a Jayson Kent 3-pointer with 8:09 remaining in the game before sashaying to the finish line, with players from the end of the bench playing the final minutes.
Ze’Rik Onyema added 18 points for Texas while Arthur Kaluma hit for 15, Kadin Shedrick scored 12 and Julian Larry had 10. The Longhorns shot 57.1 percent from the floor.
Jalen Forrest and Matthew Robinson had 14 points apiece for the Cougars (0-3), with Saxby Sunderland scoring 10. Chicago State hit just 29.7 percent of its field-goal attempts.
Texas scored the contest’s first 12 points — with Johnson hitting a 3-pointer and then a short jumper to cap the game-opening run. Chicago State made just two of its first 15 shots from the floor.
The Longhorns expanded their advantage to 36 points via a 13-0 run that ended with a dunk and a 3-pointer by Johnson, the latter with 4:11 to play in the first half. Texas led by 35 before Chicago State scored the half’s final three points on free throws from Forrest to cut its deficit to 50-18 at the break.
Johnson’s 10 points before halftime led all scorers and paced a balanced Texas offense that saw eight players hit at least one field-goal attempt.
If there was any doubt about the outcome after Texas’ dominant first half, the Longhorns dispelled it quickly after intermission. Texas canned nine of its first 12 shots over the initial nine-plus minutes of the second half as it increased its lead to 81-31.
–Field Level Media
