AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Christian Bishop scored 17 points and No. 7 Texas used suffocating defense in the second half to beat Texas Rio Grande Valley 88-58 Friday night.
Bishop, a senior who transferred from Creighton, is a backup who played 14 minutes. He made all nine of his free throws.
Timmy Allen and Tre Mitchell scored 13 points each for Texas, with Mitchell adding five rebounds and five assists.
RayQuan Taylor led UTRGV with 15 points, and Justin Johnson scored 12.
Texas (6-1) led by five at halftime but broke away with a 19-0 push that began four minutes into the second half.
UTRGV (4-5) trailed 46-41 after shooting 53.6% in the first half and making a 9-0 sprint late in the period. Taylor scored 11 points in the half, six more than his average per game. Mike Adewunmi, a graduate student playing at his fourth school, scored 10 points by midway through the half, surpassing his average per game of 8.5.
UTRGV committed six turnovers during the first 4:23 of the second half, enabling Texas to open a 21-point lead in the first six minutes.
UTRGV committed 15 of its 23 turnovers in the second half — six by Marek Nelson — and shot 31.6% in the period.
Texas shot 50%, converting 10 of 24 3-pointers.
BIG PICTURE
UTRGV: Johnson brought a scoring average of nearly 21 points per game to the matchup. He scored 28 during a 94-85 loss at then-No.1 4 Illinois. Andrew Jones and Jase Febres, alternating guarding Johnson, made him work hard for shots. Johnson missed on eight of his first nine shots, finishing 3 for 11.
Texas: The Longhorns finally play their second game of the season against an opponent in the AP Top 25 when they visit No. 25 Seton Hall on Thursday, providing the Pirates remain ranked. The Longhorns' first game against a ranked team resulted in a 86-74 loss at then-No. 1 Gonzaga on Nov. 13. Texas has indulged in an extended holiday feast of mid-majors and other schools not from the power six conferences.
NEXT UP
UTRGV is at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Wednesday.
Texas is at No. 25 Seton Hall on Thursday.
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