Texas dominates Gardner-Webb

Another game, another impressive double-digit victory.

The No. 2 ranked Texas Longhorns overcame a sluggish start and turnover trouble to defeat Gardner-Webb 95-63 in front of 14,804 fans at the Erwin Center Tuesday.

Texas was lead by Damion James’ 14 points and 13 rebounds.  That brings James’ career double-double count to 43.

Jai Lucas and Dexter Pittman also had solid games for the Longhorns.  Lucas scored a career high 15 points, going 5 for 7 from beyond the arc and Pittman added 15 points and nine rebounds.

In his third game since transferring to Texas from Florida, Lucas is still transitioning form a practice player to being on the active game roster for the Longhorns.

“I’m slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things,” said Lucas.  “We might practice harder than any team in the nation, but it’s still a big difference from practice and a game.”

Texas coach Rick Barnes thinks Lucas will get better as the season goes on.

“Today he seemed more relaxed than he has been,” said Barnes.  “He is starting to understand it more, and I think the more he plays, the more he will settle in.”

Gardner-Webb was lead by C.J. Hailey who scored 20 points, including shooting 5 for 5 from 3-point range.  

UT is 12-0 for only the third time since the 1934-35 season.  The Longhorns have won every game by double digits this season and are two wins away from matching the best start in school history.  

Gardner-Webb hung with UT the first five minutes of the game.  Head Coach Rick Scruggs came out of the gate playing a 2-3 zone, a look that the Longhorns weren’t very familiar with.

Scruggs wanted to force UT’s guards to beat the Runnin’ Bulldogs with long jump shots and 3-pointers.  This defense helped force 7 Texas turnovers in the first seven =minutes of the game as the Longhorns had a 11-7 lead.

Barnes countered by substituting Jai Lucas and J’Covan Brown for Justin Mason and Dogus Balbay.

From there the Longhorns put a stranglehold on the game.

Brown and Lucas gave Texas the ability to beat the zone by making jump shots off screens.  

A Lucas 3-pointer capped a 13-0 UT run that gave the Horns a 20-7 lead with 12:21 left in the first half.

Although turnovers would continue to be a problem for the Longhorns, Gardner Webb only scored 8 points off 13 UT turnovers in the first half.  Texas took a 55-28 lead into the half and UT never let Gardner-Webb get within 23 points in the second half.  

Texas looks to keep things going when they host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday.