Red River Redemption: Texas Advances Against No. 11 Oklahoma Led by Max Abmas

The Texas Longhorns, who have defeated their bitter rivals five times in a row, travelled to the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners in Norman on Tuesday night in an attempt to build on their biggest victory of the year.

And they succeeded in doing so, sending the Oklahoma crowd’s “Horns Down” ardent home with a defeat, thanks to a commanding second half.

The Longhorns (14-5, 3-3) dominated No. 11 Oklahoma down the stretch of the second half to win 75-60, the game-high 22 points Max Abmas scored and the 10 rebounds Dylan Disu pulled down. It was the Longhorns’ second straight top-11 conference win.

While Dillon Mitchell grabbed 13 rebounds and scored eight points, Texas guard Chendall Weaver added a season-high 11 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Jalon Moore scored a game-high 15 points for Oklahoma (15-4, 3-3), but the Sooners, who had led by one point at halftime, were outscored 43-27 in the second half.

The Longhorns led 7-0 at the beginning of the game and eventually expanded that advantage to 18-9 following a 9-2 run. However, Moore’s two huge dunks set off an eventual 17-2 Sooners run, which brought the crowd back into the game.

The Sooners were ahead 28–22 and had already established a 13-0 lead in fastbreak points; however, the Longhorns withstood the storm and OU led 32–31 at the half. Weaver and Abams combined for eight points apiece to lead Texas. The Longhorns went on a 10-0 run a few minutes into the second half to take a 47-39 lead.

In order to avoid sliding into a double-digit deficit, the Sooners responded with a 9-2 run, but things soon changed. After a 10-0 run, Texas extended their advantage back to eight before a triple by Disu gave the Longhorns their highest lead of the game at 65-54.

Texas then dominated on both ends for the remainder of the game, preventing the Sooners from putting together a reliable offensive line to make a push at victory. Abmas and Disu, meanwhile, finished the game. On Saturday, the Longhorns will play the No. 21 BYU Cougars.