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Texas Longhorns men's hoops hang on for 70-69 win over Oklahoma in conference opener
Trailing 35-31 at the half, the Longhorns had a 4-point lead with 0:13 left in the game following a pair of Jabari Rice foul shots 68-64. The Sooners cut the lead to two with a Tanner Groves layup with 0:04 left, then Marcus Carr buried two more clutch foul shots to make it a two-possession game. Jacob Groves then drilled a 3-pointer for the Sooners but the clock ran out and the Longhorns claimed the road victory.
NORMAN, Okla. (KXAN) — The No. 6 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team hung on for dear life to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners 70-69 in the Big 12 Conference opener Saturday.
Trailing 35-31 at the half, the Longhorns had a 4-point lead with 0:13 left in the game following a pair of Jabari Rice foul shots 68-64. The Sooners cut the lead to two with a Tanner Groves layup with 0:04 left, then Marcus Carr buried two more clutch foul shots to make it a two-possession game. Jacob Groves then drilled a 3-pointer for the Sooners but the clock ran out and the Longhorns claimed the road victory.
Carr and Timmy Allen led the way for the Longhorns with 13 points each, following Rice with 11 off the bench and 10 points by Dylan Disu. Allen and Rice both had seven rebounds each and Carr chipped in four steals.
Texas was near-perfect from the foul line, going 15-for-16, and that ended up being a big difference in the game. Oklahoma shot 11 free throws and eight. The Sooners shot better than the Longhorns from the field, 48% to 43%, and the Sooners made nine 3-point shots to Texas' five.
Oklahoma forward Jacob Groves (34) goes against Texas forward Christian Bishop (32) and forward Timmy Allen (0) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Oklahoma guard Milos Uzan, bottom, fights for the ball with Texas forward Brock Cunningham, left, and forward Christian Bishop, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas guard Marcus Carr, left, reacts while Oklahoma forward Jalen Hill (1) looks on during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Oklahoma guard Bijan Cortes (14) goes against Texas guard Marcus Carr (5) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Oklahoma forward Tanner Groves (35) goes against Texas forward Dylan Disu (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas forward Timmy Allen, left, goes against Oklahoma forward Jacob Groves during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas guard Arterio Morris (2) goes against Oklahoma forward Jacob Groves (34) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas guard Tyrese Hunter (4) goes against Oklahoma forward Jacob Groves during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas forward Timmy Allen (0) goes against Oklahoma guard Milos Uzan (12) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas guard Arterio Morris (2) goes against Oklahoma forwards Sam Godwin (10) and Jacob Groves (34) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas forward Timmy Allen, right, goes against Oklahoma forward Jalen Hill (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas guard Marcus Carr (5) passes the ball away from Oklahoma forward Jalen Hill (1) and guard Milos Uzan during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas guard Marcus Carr (5) drives the ball against Oklahoma forward Jalen Hill during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas guard Tyrese Hunter (4) goes goes against Oklahoma guard Grant Sherfield (25) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck) 
Texas guard Sir'Jabari Rice, center, drives the ball against Oklahoma forward Jalen Hill (1) and guard Grant Sherfield (25) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)
The Longhorns' bench scored 27 points to Oklahoma's five and there were nine lead changes throughout the game.
For Oklahoma, Grant Sherfield led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-9 shooting. Jacob Groves made five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.
In a scheduling quirk, it was the Longhorns' first true road game of the season. Texas had either played at Moody Center or at neutral sites for the entire nonconference schedule.
It was the fifth consecutive game that Rodney Terry was the team's acting head coach while Chris Beard remains suspended.
Texas (12-1, 1-0 Big 12 Conference) hosts Kansas State at 8 p.m. Tuesday.