Second Half Surge Leads Texas Past Iowa
It was a tale of two halves for the third-ranked Texas Longhorns on Monday night against Iowa. Thankfully for Texas a strong second half outweighed the deficiencies of a lackluster opening 20 minutes of play as the Horns dispatched Iowa 85-60 in the semifinals of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Facing an Iowa (1-3) team that is picked by many prognosticators to finish in last place in the Big Ten this season, Texas (3-0) pulled away in the second half after a first half that saw the Hawkeyes turn a game that many figured to be a blowout into a tie game at halftime. The difference in the Horns’ second half turnaround was partly their play on the defensive end as Texas did a much better job of adjusting to Iowa’s scheme cutting down on the number of wide open looks the Hawkeyes were getting while finishing the game with a 39-26 edge in the rebound battle. The other key element in the Horns’ comeback was Dexter Pittman. The senior center scored two key buckets in the paint to ignite a 17-0 second half run that helped the Horns come out of the doldrums. Texas looked like it would be off and running early as freshman Jordan Hamilton gave the Horns a huge lift off of the bench with four first half three-point baskets, the third of which capped a 14-2 Texas run as the Longhorns led 19-6 at the 13:05 mark. But with Texas struggling on the defense end as the Hawkeyes climbed back into the game, Texas head coach Rick Barnes decided to mix up the lineup which led to inconsistencies on the offensive end. When the smoke cleared the Hawkeyes enjoyed a 15-4 Iowa run that helped cut the Texas lead all the way down to three at 29-26 when Devan Bawinkle nailed a three with 4:09 to go in the half. The game went back and forth and the Hawkeyes, who tied the game 38-38 at halftime as Cully Payne’s three-quarter court prayer was answered to end the first half, eventually took a 41-38 lead when Matt Gatens hit a three to start the second half scoring. That’s when the Horns went to Pittman who hit a jump hook and then used an up-and-under move to get an easy bucket in the lane to put Texas back on top, 42-41. Texas then proceeded to bury the Hawkeyes with an inspired defensive effort by Pittman and Damion James that triggered fast break points to help the Horns blow the game open. Texas’ impressive run included a steal and easy layup by freshman guard J’Covan Brown to get the Horns’ lead back to 10 at 51-41, and ended when Brown hit two free throws to make it a 55-41 game. Iowa got to within nine on another Bawinkle three but James answered with three straight buckets, including a layup over the front of the rim in transition off of a nice pass from Hamilton, that took the Texas lead back to 61-46 with 15:44 left in the game. From there Texas used their athleticism, depth and presence in the paint to wear down the Hawkeyes and take firm control of the contest by the midway point of the second half. It was Over When: Texas made a 17-0 run early in the second half. Damion James’ string of three consecutive baskets also helped the Horns seize control of the game after Iowa cut the Texas lead back to single digits. MVPs: Damion James, Dexter Pittman and Jordan Hamilton Pittman only missed two shots (one being an uncontested dunk on Texas’ first possession of the game) all night finishing 7 for 9 from the field with 15 points and eight rebounds. James has his usual double-double with a workman-like 10 points and 13 boards and in the process became just the third player in school history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Hamilton was the Horns’ lone offensive spark in the first half finishing with a team high 16 points off the bench, which included a 4-for-8 night shooting from behind the arc. On Offense: The Horns had five players in double figures as J’Covan Brown (14 points) and freshman guard Avery Bradley (11) also scored in double figures to lead a balanced Texas offensive attack. The Horns shot better than 54 percent from the floor for the game and with all of the transition buckets and with Pittman down low, the Horns owned the lane holding 26-4 edge in points in the paint in the second half. Hamilton and Dogus Balbay combined to dish out six of the Horns’ 13 assists in the game. The Horns had an 8-for-26 night behind the three-point line while shooting 71 percent from the free throw line (17-24). On Defense: The Horns really turned up the heat defensively in the second half. Iowa shot 45 percent from the field in the first half but finished the game shooting only 31 percent from the floor as the Horns did a great job of contesting shots in the second half and adjusting to the Hawkeyes’ floor spacing. With Pittman and James cleaning the glass Texas held a 39-26 edge in rebounding that helped trigger the break as Texas scored several easy buckets on the move while outscoring the Hawkeyes 47-22 in the second half. Pittman and James also combined for six blocked shots while sophomore guard Varez Ward recorded four of the Horns’ 13 steals. Tracking the Freshmen: Texas’ talented freshman class continues to be a big reason why the Horns are enjoying success early in the season. J’Covan Brown started the first two games of the season but Barnes went with Avery Bradley in the starting lineup against Iowa as Bradley, Justin Mason, Varez Ward, Damion James and Dexter Pittman started the game. Bradley’s 11 points came on only six field goal attempts while Brown had a 5-for-10 night shooting the ball to get his 14 points. Hamilton’s huge night off of the bench highlighted three of the four eligible freshmen scoring in double figures. Shawn Williams hit a three-pointer late in the game for his only points on his only field goal attempt of the night. Up Next for Texas: Texas will face Pitt in the championship game of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in Kansas City Tuesday night. Pitt defeated Wichita State 68-55 in the first semifinal game at the Sprint Center on Monday.
Facing an Iowa (1-3) team that is picked by many prognosticators to finish in last place in the Big Ten this season, Texas (3-0) pulled away in the second half after a first half that saw the Hawkeyes turn a game that many figured to be a blowout into a tie game at halftime. The difference in the Horns’ second half turnaround was partly their play on the defensive end as Texas did a much better job of adjusting to Iowa’s scheme cutting down on the number of wide open looks the Hawkeyes were getting while finishing the game with a 39-26 edge in the rebound battle. The other key element in the Horns’ comeback was Dexter Pittman. The senior center scored two key buckets in the paint to ignite a 17-0 second half run that helped the Horns come out of the doldrums. Texas looked like it would be off and running early as freshman Jordan Hamilton gave the Horns a huge lift off of the bench with four first half three-point baskets, the third of which capped a 14-2 Texas run as the Longhorns led 19-6 at the 13:05 mark. But with Texas struggling on the defense end as the Hawkeyes climbed back into the game, Texas head coach Rick Barnes decided to mix up the lineup which led to inconsistencies on the offensive end. When the smoke cleared the Hawkeyes enjoyed a 15-4 Iowa run that helped cut the Texas lead all the way down to three at 29-26 when Devan Bawinkle nailed a three with 4:09 to go in the half. The game went back and forth and the Hawkeyes, who tied the game 38-38 at halftime as Cully Payne’s three-quarter court prayer was answered to end the first half, eventually took a 41-38 lead when Matt Gatens hit a three to start the second half scoring. That’s when the Horns went to Pittman who hit a jump hook and then used an up-and-under move to get an easy bucket in the lane to put Texas back on top, 42-41. Texas then proceeded to bury the Hawkeyes with an inspired defensive effort by Pittman and Damion James that triggered fast break points to help the Horns blow the game open. Texas’ impressive run included a steal and easy layup by freshman guard J’Covan Brown to get the Horns’ lead back to 10 at 51-41, and ended when Brown hit two free throws to make it a 55-41 game. Iowa got to within nine on another Bawinkle three but James answered with three straight buckets, including a layup over the front of the rim in transition off of a nice pass from Hamilton, that took the Texas lead back to 61-46 with 15:44 left in the game. From there Texas used their athleticism, depth and presence in the paint to wear down the Hawkeyes and take firm control of the contest by the midway point of the second half. It was Over When: Texas made a 17-0 run early in the second half. Damion James’ string of three consecutive baskets also helped the Horns seize control of the game after Iowa cut the Texas lead back to single digits. MVPs: Damion James, Dexter Pittman and Jordan Hamilton Pittman only missed two shots (one being an uncontested dunk on Texas’ first possession of the game) all night finishing 7 for 9 from the field with 15 points and eight rebounds. James has his usual double-double with a workman-like 10 points and 13 boards and in the process became just the third player in school history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Hamilton was the Horns’ lone offensive spark in the first half finishing with a team high 16 points off the bench, which included a 4-for-8 night shooting from behind the arc. On Offense: The Horns had five players in double figures as J’Covan Brown (14 points) and freshman guard Avery Bradley (11) also scored in double figures to lead a balanced Texas offensive attack. The Horns shot better than 54 percent from the floor for the game and with all of the transition buckets and with Pittman down low, the Horns owned the lane holding 26-4 edge in points in the paint in the second half. Hamilton and Dogus Balbay combined to dish out six of the Horns’ 13 assists in the game. The Horns had an 8-for-26 night behind the three-point line while shooting 71 percent from the free throw line (17-24). On Defense: The Horns really turned up the heat defensively in the second half. Iowa shot 45 percent from the field in the first half but finished the game shooting only 31 percent from the floor as the Horns did a great job of contesting shots in the second half and adjusting to the Hawkeyes’ floor spacing. With Pittman and James cleaning the glass Texas held a 39-26 edge in rebounding that helped trigger the break as Texas scored several easy buckets on the move while outscoring the Hawkeyes 47-22 in the second half. Pittman and James also combined for six blocked shots while sophomore guard Varez Ward recorded four of the Horns’ 13 steals. Tracking the Freshmen: Texas’ talented freshman class continues to be a big reason why the Horns are enjoying success early in the season. J’Covan Brown started the first two games of the season but Barnes went with Avery Bradley in the starting lineup against Iowa as Bradley, Justin Mason, Varez Ward, Damion James and Dexter Pittman started the game. Bradley’s 11 points came on only six field goal attempts while Brown had a 5-for-10 night shooting the ball to get his 14 points. Hamilton’s huge night off of the bench highlighted three of the four eligible freshmen scoring in double figures. Shawn Williams hit a three-pointer late in the game for his only points on his only field goal attempt of the night. Up Next for Texas: Texas will face Pitt in the championship game of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in Kansas City Tuesday night. Pitt defeated Wichita State 68-55 in the first semifinal game at the Sprint Center on Monday.
