Tre Johnson and Arthur Kaluma scored 18 points each as Texas overcame a slow start to roll past visiting Mississippi Valley State 89-43 on Saturday in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns (3-1) were down by two points about eight minutes into game but took charge late in the first half, using a 17-5 run on the way to a 10-point lead at halftime. Texas expanded the margin to 17 early in the second half and poured it on from there, even as it emptied its bench over the final five minutes for the final 46-point margin.
Julian Larry added 13 points for Texas while Kadin Shedrick had 12 points and Jordan Pope scored 10.
The Longhorns made 17 consecutive shots from the floor after a miss by Johnson with 15:07 to play, shot 64.4 percent for the game and 77.8 percent (21 of 27) in the second half.
Alvin Stredic led the Delta Devils (1-3) with 11 points with Greg Moore scoring 10.
The Longhorns sputtered out of the gate, missing eight of their first 10 shots and trailing Mississippi Valley State 12-10 after Moore hit a layup at the 11:44 mark of the first half.
Texas went in front for good on Larry’s layup for a 14-12 lead at the midway mark of the half. The Longhorns continued to add to their advantage over the ensuing six minutes, taking a 27-17 lead when Kaluma canned a pair of free throws with 3:50 to play in the half.
Texas led 33-23 at the break despite just one point from Johnson and no player with more than Kaluma’s nine points before halftime. The Longhorns outscored the Delta Devils by 13 points at the free-throw line over the first 20 minutes.
Stredic paced the Delta Devils with eight points in the half. Mississippi Valley State made two more field goals than the Longhorns (10-8) but shot just 37 percent from the floor.
Johnson — and the Longhorns — woke up in the second half, with the talented freshman scoring nine of Texas’ first 11 points after halftime to spur the home team to a 44-27 lead. Texas was up 48-32 with 14:23 remaining before unleashing an 11-0 run over the ensuing three minutes keyed by two buckets in the post by Kaluma and a layup and a 3-pointer by Johnson.
