Texas State Bobcats at Texas Longhorns

Abmas scored season-best 26 to lead No. 16 Texas past Texas State 77-58

Abmas made a season-high five 3-pointers, one of them completing a 13-0 push that gave the Longhorns a 12-point lead with 8:18 left after they trailed by four earlier in the half. He also had a season-high six assists.

Abmas has made 10 of 23 3-pointers in his last three games, nothing new for him. He was a 38.8% 3-point shooter and averaged 20.8 points in four seasons at Oral Roberts before transferring.

“It don’t matter what uniform he has on,” Texas State coach Terrence Johnson said. “He’s a high-level, excellent player. I’m a fan of his. I’m happy to see him doing it at this level.”

Ithiel Horton added 12 points for Texas (6-1). Tyrese Hunter, Kadin Shedrick and Dillon Mitchell scored 11 apiece.

Dillon Mitchell and Kadin Shedrick each grabbed 11 rebounds for the Longhorns. Mitchell had four blocks and Shedrick had three.

Dylan Dawson led Texas State (3-5) with 15 points. Brandon Love scored 14.

The Longhorns looked ready to bury Texas State when they took a 25-4 lead eight minutes into the game, fueled by three 3-pointers from Abmas.

Then Texas missed 11 straight shots, going scoreless for nearly 6 1/2 minutes while Texas State had a 14-0 run to turn the early blowout into a 36-26 game at halftime.

Missed shots notwithstanding, Abmas said, “We lost our energy on the defensive end. They had some easy plays in transition that we can’t give up.”

The surge by Texas State was no fluke. The Bobcats made a 9-0 run early in the second half to take the four-point lead.

“They smacked us around pretty early on and, but I am proud that my guys found some kind of way to respond,” Johnson said. “We just talked to these guys about never panicking. We have two (Sun Belt regular season) championship rings. In the inside they say never panic.”

BIG PICTURE

Texas State: The Bobcats began the game shooting 40.7%, which ranked No. 306 in the country. They missed nine of their first 11 shots while falling behind but showed some resolve. Texas State heated up to hit its next five shots and 7 of 11 to finish the half. The Bobcats shot 45.5% in the second half, and they were competitive until the final few minutes.

Texas: Mitchell, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, returned to school from NBA pre-draft workouts determined to improve his physical strength, shooting, rebounding and ability to guard all five positions. He's leading the team with 8.6 rebounds a game after grabbing 3.9 last season, helping to compensate while the 6-9 Dylan Disu recovers from offseason foot surgery. Mitchell leads the Longhorns with 12 blocks.

“Rebound and defend,” Mitchell said. “That's my identity, my two calling cards."

UP NEXT

Texas State: Hosts Jarvis Christian on Monday.

Texas: Visits No. 3 Marquette on Wednesday.

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