Sir’Jabari Rice scored 23 points and Tyrese Hunter added 20 as No. 9 Texas cruised to a 75-59 victory over No. 3 Kansas in Big 12 play on Saturday in Austin, Texas.
Rice shot 9 of 14 from the field, including 2 of 6 from 3-point range and grabbed seven rebounds as the Longhorns (23-8, 12-6 Big 12) ended a two-game slide.
Tyrese Hunter hit 4 of 10 from the floor, including 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, in addition to going 9 of 10 at the free-throw line.
The Longhorns’ 23 wins are already their most in a season since earning 24 when they reached the NCAA Tournament’s round-of-32 during the 2013-14 season.
Kansas (25-6, 13-5), which had already clinched the Big 12 regular-season title and the top seed in next week’s conference tournament, was led by Jalen Wilson’s 23 points and 10 rebounds.
KJ Adams added nine points, while Kevin McCullar chipped in eight points and six rebounds. However, no other Jayhawk scored more than Gradey Dick’s six points, as Kansas ended its seven-game winning streak.
The Jayhawks shot 21 of 58 (36.2 percent) from the field, including 7 of 22 (31.8 percent) from beyond the arc, in addition to getting outscored 28-22 in the paint.
Texas shot 25 of 55 (45.5 percent) from the field, including 6 of 21 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range.
Leading by eight at halftime, the Longhorns put the game away by opening the second half on a 7-0 run to take a 39-24 lead following Hunter’s two free throws with 17:38 remaining.
Rice’s jumper extended the Longhorns’ advantage to 68-52 with 3:30 left.
Texas dominated the first half, leading by as many as 12 before settling for a 32-24 halftime advantage.
Hunter and Rice scored nine points apiece in the first 20 minutes for Texas, which shot 11 of 28 (39.3 percent) from the field before the break, including 3 of 11 (27.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
Kansas was led by Wilson’s 11 first-half points, while Dajuan Harris added five.
The Jayhawks shot 9 of 30 (30 percent) from the field prior to halftime, including 3 of 12 (25 percent) from distance.
–Field Level Media
