Tyrese Hunter has season-best 23 points, No. 21 Texas routs UNC Greensboro 72-37
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Tyrese Hunter had a season-high 23 points and added seven assists to help No. 21 Texas rout UNC Greensboro 72-37 on Friday night.
Hunter has averaged 16.3 points in his last four games. On Friday, Hunter was 8 of 12 from the field, including 3 of 4 3-pointers. He committed just one turnover, grabbed six rebounds and spearheaded a defense that limited the Spartans to 29.8% from the field.
Hunter said he watched game tape during a week-long holiday break.
“Just seeing what I can do better, and it all starts on defense,” Hunter said. “If I go out there and have zero points and just play defense the whole time, whatever it takes to win the game, that's what I'm going to do.”
Kadin Shedrick scored 11 points for Texas (10-2), which shot 47.2% and made 10 of 23 3-pointers. Dillon Mitchell had four blocks, matching a career best for the 6-foot-8 sophomore.
Mikeal Brown-Jones, the leading scorer and rebounder for UNC Greensboro (9-4) , missed his fourth straight game because of a lower-body injury. Keyshaun Langley led the Spartans with 15 points. Jalen Breath had eight rebounds.
Texas has not played consistently strong defense this season. Coach Rodney Terry said the Longhorns did not reach the level of defense that enabled them to reach the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight last season until after the midway point of the Big 12 schedule. Hunter was largely responsible for the improvement.
“You know, when he guards and plays with that kind of energy and activity on defense, it’s a game changer,” Terry said.
Hunter had 16 points, five assists and four rebounds in the first half. The Longhorns led 36-22 at the break, though they struggled for a spell, going scoreless for more than six minutes before finishing with a 9-0 run. Hunter scored five of the nine points and assisted on two more.
Texas eventually extended its run to 30-3.
“They raised their intensity in the second half,” UNC Greensboro coach Mike Jones said. “We had a lot of trouble scoring over their length.”
BIG PICTURE
UNC Greensboro: The Spartans have experienced a rough time without the 6-foot-8 Brown-Jones, also losing to Marshall and High Point. They beat Virginia University of Lynchburg without him. Brown-Jones averages 19.4 points a game, nearly double his production last season. He scored 17 points in a 78-72 win at then-No. 14 Arkansas on Nov. 17.
Texas: Dylan Disu has averaged 12.3 points off the bench, including nine against UNC Greensboro, during his first three games after an eight-month absence while recovering from surgery to his left foot. Disu was surging before suffering the injury early in an NCAA Tournament regional semifinal game against Xavier. He averaged 19.5 points in four games before the injury.
UP NEXT
UNC Greensboro: Hosts Furman on Wednesday night in the Southern Conference opener.
Texas: Hosts UT Arlington on Jan. 1.
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