Texas looks to shrug off a close loss to one of the country’s best teams and build momentum for the Southeastern Conference campaign when it squares off against Le Moyne on Tuesday in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns (7-4) head home after a 71-63 loss at then-No. 5 UConn on Dec. 12 in Hartford, Conn. Texas hung tough throughout, pulling to within five with less than five minutes left before losing for the second time in its past three outings and falling to 1-3 against Quad 1 teams.
Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark led the Longhorns with 15 points each. Texas shot just 37.7 percent from the field and missed nine of its 28 free-throw attempts while allowing UConn to shoot 54.7 percent from the field.
“We left (Connecticut) feeling like we’re on the right track,” Texas coach Sean Miller said. “But to win the game, to be right there to the end, you have to be able to make free throws, and you have to be a little bit tougher down the stretch and you have to make plays.”
The Longhorns have bounced back in style after each of their previous three losses, forging a 3-0 record with a plus-34.7 ppg scoring margin, with two of those three at home and all against mid-major opponents.
Matas Vokietaitis leads the Longhorns offensively with 15.3 points per game, followed closely by Dailyn Swinn (15.1), who ranks first in assists (3.3) and steals (1.5) and second in rebounding (6.5). Lassina Traore leads Texas with 7.0 rpg.
The Dolphins (5-5) head to central Texas after a 78-63 win at Div. II Binghamton on Saturday. Trent Mosquera racked up 21 points with Shilo Jackson adding 14 points and 10 rebounds, Deng Garang finishing with 12 points and Tennessee Rainwater scoring 10.
“To get a win here and get on the board in that rivalry is something that can help going forward,” Le Moyne coach Nate Champion said about the victory over Binghamton.
It was Mosquera’s fourth 20-point-plus game this season, and he’s leading Le Moyne with 15.1 ppg.
Le Moyne, listed at No. 282 in the NCAA NET Rankings, has won three of its past four. The Dolphins are 0-2 against Quad 2 teams, with Texas being their third game against a high-major opponent.
The Dolphins have the highest-ranked offense in the Northeast Conference, per KenPom, by a wide margin.
