‘Horns fall to 4-4 after Michigan outlasts Texas for 53-50 victory

It was a game of few runs, but the Michigan Wolverines owned the first and last runs of the game and that proved to be the difference in a 53-50 victory over the Texas Longhorns.

Michigan opened the game on a 21-11 run during the first 10:05 of action, but a Longhorns comeback effort led by heightened defense and Tevin Mack’s shooting stroke trimmed to Wolverines halftime lead to just 31-28. Texas continued to surge throughout the majority of the second half behind stout defense, and after giving way to 21 points in the first 10 minutes of the game, the ‘Horns allowed only 24 more during the game’s next 26 minutes.

The momentum was on Texas’ side with a 48-45 lead with under five minutes remaining, but then Michigan made a run of its own while a stifling Wolverine defense allowed the ‘Horns to score just two more points throughout the remaining four-plus minutes.

In what became a three-point victory, Michigan closed the game on an 8-2 run behind Texas’ panicked shot selection and being overaggressive and attacking the rim when nothing was there. Critical empty possessions down the stretch included a heavily contested Kerwin Roach Jr. layup attempt and ultimately, Eric Davis Jr’s similar effort as Texas trailed 51-50 — Moritz Wagner blocked his potential game-winning shot.

It was a tale of the first 10 and the final five minutes of the game, which saw a flustered and out of sync Texas offense score just 13 total points.

Evident in the final score of 53-50, this was an offensive struggle from both sides. Mack led all scorers with 18 points behind three long-range connections, but the remaining four starters collectively scored just 23 points.

Wagner led the way for Michigan with 15 points, while D.J. Wilson added 13 more on a 5-6 shooting performance. Senior Duncan Robinson scored 12 points off the bench.

There were plenty of signs of good energy and scattered examples of ideal offensive execution, but the Longhorns youth still shows up quite obviously and lapses have once again led to a loss.

Texas will now return home for a meeting with Long Beach State on Saturday.