Timmy Allen scored a season-high 24 points and Marcus Carr had a key late steal and two free throws as No. 20 Texas rallied down the stretch for a 79-76 win over No. 8 Kansas on Monday in Austin, Texas.
The game was tied at 72 after a layup by Allen with 2:40 to play. Kansas answered with buckets by David McCormack and Ochai Agbaji for a four-point lead before Texas' Tre Mitchell hit a banked 3-pointer with 55 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 76-75.
After a turnover by Agbaji, Allen canned a jumper with 21 seconds left to put the Longhorns back in the lead. Following a timeout, Carr stole the ball from Dajuan Harris and was fouled. Carr then hit both the free throws to give Texas (18-6, 7-4 Big 12) a three-point cushion, enough to hold on when Kansas missed two free throws and couldn't get the rebound of the second.
Mitchell finished with 17 points for the Longhorns, with Andrew Jones and Carr adding 10 each. Texas has won five of its past six games.
Jalen Wilson led the Jayhawks (19-4, 8-2) with 18 points and 11 rebounds. McCormack added 16 points, Christian Braun had 13 and Agbaji hit for 11 in the loss. Kansas played its fifth straight game against a ranked team, falling to 3-2 in that stretch.
Texas jumped on top 19-18 when Allen's jumper with 8:57 to play in the first half capped an 8-0 run. Texas never trailed again in the half as 10 straight Longhorns points from Mitchell pushed the lead to 31-24 with 5:47 remaining.
Kansas fought back, tying the game a 35 after a pair of free throws by Wilson with 57 seconds left in the half. Jones hit a jumper with 19 seconds left, and Carr turned a Kansas turnover into a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that granted the Longhorns a 40-35 advantage at the break.
Mitchell led all scorers at halftime with 12 points while Jones added 10 for Texas. Wilson paced the Jayhawks with 10 first-half points.
Kansas regained the lead on a steal and dunk by Joseph Yesufu at the 11:58 mark of the second half. Texas soon got back-to-back jumpers from Allen before the Jayhawks swept back to the front by five with 8:04 to play, setting the stage for the furious finish.
--Field Level Media
Kansas | Texas | |
Jalen Wilson 18 | Scoring | Timmy Allen 24 |
Dajuan Harris 6 | Assists | Marcus Carr 4 |
Jalen Wilson 11 | Rebounds | Christian Bishop 10 |
Jalen Wilson 6 | Free Throws Made | Tre Mitchell 8 |
Ochai Agbaji 1 | Steals | Marcus Carr 2 |
David McCormack 2 | Blocks | Timmy Allen 1 |