Texas Basketball: Eric Davis 3-Ball from Corner Pocket Sinks Red Raiders
Texas guard Eric Davis came up big in the Longhorns’ 62-58 home victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Eric Davis needed something significant to happen in the 2016-2017 Texas Basketball season. He finally got his moment with a three-ball from the corner pocket to sink Texas Tech Wednesday night in Austin.
The game was tied at 58 with less than 30 seconds remaining. The shot clock was winding down and Texas perfectly set up Davis for a corner three-ball. There was so much momentum behind a series of passes that you could feel the Longhorns bench and the arena rising as one unit anticipating the ball going through the rim.
Davis’ shot swished through the net to give Texas a 61-58 lead and fire up head coach Shaka Smart. Then, Texas held firm on defense to prevent Tech from tying the game. Andrew Jones sealed the victory with one free throw to win 62-58.
Davis was the unsung hero of Texas Basketball last week. Andrew Jones made an epic three-pointer to beat the Oklahoma Sooners the last time the Horns played in Austin. But, Davis made a crucial three-pointer to bring the Horns within two points to set up Jones.
On this night, Eric Davis’s three-pointer counted as the game winner. It was a great sign for the Horns after losing a heartbreaker against Georgia last Saturday.
Texas Still Hurting Itself In Key Moments
Texas needed Eric Davis’s heroics because of the team’s inability to play consistently in tight games.
The Longhorns took a two-point advantage into halftime, then extended the lead all the way to 11 points early in the second half.
But, Texas does not have the ability to extend leads this season, which has allowed teams to hang around and climb back into games. The pattern cost Texas a victory against TCU earlier in Big 12 conference play. It looked like the same was going to happen against the Red Raiders, who have not won in Austin in over 20 years.
What tends to happen is Texas goes on a hot streak, then the opponent scores one or two baskets in a row. Suddenly, the Longhorns offense goes cold and it’s like a tidal wave of trepidation consumes the team.
During Tech’s big stretch in the second half, the Red Raiders nailed some tough three-pointers. Then, the Longhorns defense broke down, giving Tech wide-open looks from the perimeter to keep chipping away at Texas’ lead.
Longhorns Offense Lets Tech Hang Around
Meanwhile, on offense, the lack of a true point guard hurt Texas Basketball. The turnovers and missed shots in transition that have plagued Texas all season long allowed Tech to tie the game. Then, the Red Raiders took a three-point lead with five minutes remaining.
But, Texas never allowed Tech to extend their lead beyond three points. Longhorns big men Shaq Cleare and Jarrett Allen missed critical free throws down the stretch, but Texas’ defense finally clamped down on the Red Raiders to prevent them from growing their advantage.
Texas eventually tied the game at 58, which set up Eric Davis for the biggest shot of his season.
For the longest time, it seemed like Davis was destined for a forgettable year. The sophomore guard lost confidence early in the year and regularly got down on himself. But, the light has finally come on for him.
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Davis’ shot against Oklahoma to set up Andrew Jones was huge. Now, Davis is stepping into three-point shots with confidence. And now, he’s making those big shots. None was bigger than his game-winner against the Red Raiders on Wednesday night.