Texas overcomes slow start for 82-58 victory over Florida A&M

It wasn’t pretty throughout, but in its first game back at the Frank Erwin Center following a 1-2 effort in the PK80 Invitational, the Texas Longhorns cruised to a 82-58 victory over Florida A&M on Wednesday.

Following a quick 6-0 start, the ‘Horns quickly saw their lead dwindle, and ultimately get completely erased as the Rattlers nailed a trio of three-pointers to take a 9-8 edge. The lead was short-lived though, lasting less than 20 seconds, and as expected against an overmatched 1-7 Florida A&M squad, Texas recaptured the lead the following possession and never looked back.

Florida A&M did hang around, however, although that had much more to do with the Longhorns struggles than anything exceptional on the Rattlers end.

As we previously detailed at Burnt Orange Nation, shooting woes have plagued the Longhorns to begin the 2017-18 season, and Wednesday was no exception.

Texas entered intermission with a 35-26 lead as part of a game that was as close as it was due to the ‘Horns sinking just 1-13 looks from the perimeter and only 8-17 attempts from the free throw line.

The second half proved to be more fruitful for the ‘Horns from an offensive standpoint, as Texas increased its scoring output to 47 points throughout the final 20 minutes.

The difference?

After failing to find much success from deep, Texas attempted only six three-pointers on the second half, and hit three. Rather, the offense attacked the basket on a much more frequent basis, utilizing its decided size and athletic advantage over Florida A&M.

Dylan Osetkowski’s performance was the most notable of any, as he led the Longhorns with 19 points and eight rebounds. Andrew Jones (14), Kerwin Roach II (11) and Mohamed Bamba (10) each joined Osetkowski in double figures. The Longhorns bench added 26 pints and collectively, 10 Texas players found the scoreboard, including walk-on Ryan McClurg.

For Florida A&M, on the other hand, the bulk of its point productivity came by way of just two players, as Desmond Williams and Isaiah Martin combined for 34 of the Rattlers 58 points with 21 and 13, respectively.

The victory lifts Texas to 5-2 on the season and a perfect 4-0 at the Frank Erwin Center.

The Longhorns next appearance will serve as a homecoming of sorts for Shaka Smart, as Texas will be on the road to take on VCU on Wednesday, Dec. 5.