Texas Basketball: 2 studs, 1 dud from UT's lumbering win over A&M-CC
No. 19 Texas basketball reeled in another win that didn't come easy during the non-conference slate at the Moody Center in Austin on Dec. 22 against the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders. Texas got off to a strong start to The Holiday Game at home at the friendly confines of the Moody Center on Dec. 22 against the Islanders.
Head coach Rodney Terry and the Longhorns went into the locker room at halftime against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi up by a double-digit margin (35-24). Texas moved the ball well in the first half and got to the charity stripe six more times than the Islanders, leading to the Longhorns getting the 11-point lead at the half.
Dillon Mitchell leads No. 19 Texas basketball to a double-digit win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Texas knocked down all eight of their free-throw attempts in the first half, and held the edge over Texas A&M-CC in most major statistical team categories.
But that momentum the Longhorns built in the first half didn't translate so well to the start of the second half. Texas A&M-CC was actually winning the second half for most of the final 20 minutes. Texas was turning the ball over too much and wasn't hitting open looks very often in the second half compared to the first.
Texas got the 71-55 win over the Islanders when it was all said and done. A late run from the Longhorns to close out the second half eventually put Texas A&M-CC away to get the 16-point win.
Here are two studs and one dud from the Longhorns' win over Texas A&M-CC at home on Dec. 22.
Stud: Brock Cunningham, F
This was yet another underrated performance for the Longhorns from senior forward Brock Cunningham. The sixth-year senior had a quietly-efficient performance on both ends of the floor in this win over Texas A&M-CC.
While tying a season-high with 31 minutes on the floor, Cunningham was efficient shooting from the field, disruptive on defense, and active around the glass. He also made some nice passes, dishing out four dimes on the afternoon.
Cunnigham also picked up 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line. This was the first game this season for Cunningham scoring in double figures.
Texas A&M-CC was having a hard time dealing with Cunningham's disruptiveness on the defensive end. He registered multiple blocks and a steal in a game for just the second time this season.
Cunningham continued to do many of the little things well for the Longhorns while scoring a season-high in points to help lead Texas to this double-digit win over the Islanders.