LDN - Sports

Texas rallies to defeat Alabama in Big 12-SEC Challenge

[December 03, 2016] Kerwin Roach, Jr. tallied 16 points to lead five Texas players in double-figure scoring as the Longhorns roared from behind early in the second half and then held on for a 77-68 victory over Alabama on Friday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, as part of the Big 12-SEC Challenge.

Texas opened the second half with a 19-6 run that allowed it to erase a 12-point halftime deficit and take a 45-44 lead with 12:47 to play.

The Longhorns took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Jacob Young with 3:38 remaining, expanded the advantage to 67-63 on a putback layup by Jones at the 3:02 mark and salted the game away with free throws by Roach and Jarrett Allen in the final minute.

Tevin Mack, Shaquille Cleare, Allen and Young scored 11 points apiece for the Longhorns (4-3), who ended a three-game losing skid that has plummeted them out of the Top 25.

Alabama (4-3), which had a two-game win streak snapped, was led by Dazon Ingram's 12 points while Avery Johnson, Jr. hit for 10 points for the Crimson Tide.

Texas trailed 25-16 and was without a field goal for almost four minutes before two free throws by Roach and a layup by Cleare off an assist by Roach brought the Longhorns to within 25-20 at the 7:50 mark of the first half.

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The Longhorns ended the half with another drought from the floor, going the final 3:25 without a basket and hitting just two of their final 12 field-goal attempt in the first 20 minutes as Alabama assumed a 38-26 lead.

The only reason the game was that close was that Texas hit all eight of its free-throw attempts (the Crimson Tide was just 2 of 4 from the line). The Longhorns had as many made free throws in the first half as they did made field goals (eight).

It was the first time the two teams played on the basketball court since Dec. 11, 1971. Texas now holds a 7-5 lead in the series.

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