Texas looks to finish off its nonconference campaign with a bang and build momentum for the Southeastern Conference gauntlet when it hosts Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns (8-4) remain at home for the second of a two-game stretch against mid-major teams before the start of SEC play.
They topped Le Moyne 95-53 on Tuesday. Tramon Mark racked up 18 points to lead six players in double-figure scoring as Texas shrugged off a ragged final six minutes of the first half to build a 33-point advantage with 8:10 left in the game and complete the rout.
Matas Vokietaitis added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Longhorns while Dailyn Swain hit for 15 points, Jordan Pope and Simeon Wilcher had 11 each and Camden Heide tallied 10 points. Lassina Traore grabbed a game-high 11 boards for Texas.
It was the fourth time this season that the Longhorns have rebounded from a loss by winning their following game by at least 26 points, albeit all against Quad 4 opponents. Three of Texas’ four losses this season are against Quad 1 teams, with the fourth versus Quad 2 Arizona State.
“Every team at this time of year wants to be trending in the right direction towards conference play,” Texas coach Sean Miller said. “Obviously, we’re in America’s best (conference), and we understand that. And getting better, improving, being the most ready we can be, that’s part of this.”
Texas is scoring at clip of 87.4 points per game over its first dozen outings and making 49.6% of it field goals. It’s the Longhorns’ highest scoring average since the 1994-95 season (92.9 ppg) and best team field-goal percentage since the 1984-85 campaign (50.7%).
The Hawks (4-12) travel to the capital of Texas carrying a six-game losing streak, with the most recent setback a 78-64 decision at Wagner on Wednesday. Dorion Staples paced Maryland Eastern Shore with 19 point in the loss, with Jaden Cooper adding 15 that included four 3-pointers, Zion Obanla hitting for 12 points and Joseph Lecandro scoring 11.
Maryland Eastern Shore’s losing streak has all come on the road; the Hawks are 1-11 away from home this season.
“When we had a chance to make a big play on defense or a big shot on the offensive end, we came up empty,” Maryland Eastern Shore coach Cleo Hill Jr. said after the loss at Wagner. “We have been on the road throughout the entire month of December, and these experiences against quality teams are chances for our guys to get better.”
