Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
Dylan Disu registered 17 points while hitting a career-best 9-of-9 free throws and added a career-high five assists without a turnover to lead Texas (8-2) to a 96-85 victory against LSU (6-5) in the first game of The Halal Guys Showcase on Saturday afternoon at the Toyota Center. Disu returned to the court for the first time since he played just two minutes in the NCAA Sweet 16 victory against Xavier last year (March 24, 2023).
Max Abmas posted a team-high 20 points (4-9 threes, 4-4 FT), a season-high six rebounds and tied his season high with seven assists in 35 minutes. Junior guard Tyrese Hunter was named the Halal Guys Showcase Most Valuable Player in the Texas-LSU contest after tallying a season-high 19 points (8-11 FG, 2-4 threes), four assists and three rebounds in a season-best 38 minutes. Sophomore forward Dillon Mitchell recorded his fourth double-double through the first 10 games this season with 12 points (4-5 FG, 4-6 FT) and 10 rebounds to go along with two steals in 27 minutes.
Texas scored a season-high 96 points while converting 54.2-percent (32-59) from the floor, including a 50-percent (10-20) mark from three-point range, and 88-percent (22-25) from the free throw line. UT registered 21 assists (on 32 field goals made) against just 13 turnovers.
The Longhorns scored the opening five points of the contest and never trailed in the game. LSU trimmed the margin to 8-5 after a Jalen Reed layup at the 16:22 mark, before Texas used a 10-0 run over the next two minutes to build an 18-5 advantage following a three-point play from Disu with 14:34 left. The Tigers cut the gap to 22-15 after a Hunter Dean three-point play at the 12:16 mark, but the Longhorns responded with a 12-3 spurt over the next four minutes to increase their lead to 34-18 following an Abmas three-pointer with 8:22 left.
The margin did not dip below 10 points for the remainder of the half. Texas pushed the cushion to as much as 20 points (54-34) after a pair of Disu free throws at the 1:25 mark, and the Longhorns took a 56-37 lead into the break. The Longhorns converted 60.6-percent (20-33) from the floor, including a 6-of-9 (.667) mark from three-point range, and 10-of-13 (.769) from the free throw line in the opening 20 minutes. The 56 points marked the most points in any half by Texas this year, topping the 48 scored in the first half of the season opener against Incarnate Word (Nov. 6).
Texas took its largest lead of the afternoon at 22 points (61-39) following a Kadin Shedrick layup at the 19:06 mark. The Tigers went on a 14-4 run over the next four-plus minutes to trim the deficit to 65-53 after a Trae Hannibal layup with 14:47 left. A Brock Cunningham three-pointer extended the cushion to 70-55 at the 12:03 mark.
LSU responded with an 8-0 spurt over the next two-and-a-half minutes to cut the gap to 70-63 following a Jordan Wright layup at the 9:34 mark, but that would be as close as the Tigers would get the rest of the way. Texas scored six-straight points at the free throw line to build a 76-63 cushion after a pair of Disu free throws at the 7:20 mark to seal the outcome.
Texas returns to the court when it hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday, Dec. 22. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. Central at Moody Center, and the game will be televised nationally by Longhorn Network.