Longhorns can't overcome loss of Dylan Disu, surrender halftime lead in 93-85 defeat at Baylor

WACO — The Texas Longhorns had one of their best halves of the season on offense in Waco during the first half of their contest against the No. 11 Baylor Bears. The opening minutes of the second half featured more quality play on the offensive end of the floor as well.

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Then with just under 11:00 remaining in the contest and nursing a 68-62 lead, the Longhorns lost one of their two best scoring options in Dylan Disu. The senior forward and Texas’ leading scorer went down in a heap and grabbed his left knee.

Without Disu, Texas was limited on offense. Despite a season-high 33 points, Max Abmas could not do it all himself as the Longhorn surrendered an eight-point halftime advantage and succumbed to the Bears, 93-85.

“We did a great job of really attacking the zone the way we wanted to in the first half,” Terry said. “They couldn’t stop us.

“The second half, we still got great looks but the game got a little choppy. The whistle kept blowing a lot, slowing it down in terms of trying to get a good ebb and flow to the game. I thought execution all night long was what we wanted to get. We tried to play inside out and get the ball into the paint because we felt like we could. Some shots didn’t go down for us, but we got some good looks. There for a little bit, there was a stretch where we didn’t score, but when that’s happening we’ve got to sit down and get some stops.”

Disu was ruled out late in the second half but was seen on the Texas bench without ice or a brace on his knee. A Texas spokesman said Disu was ruled out due to a left knee sprain and will be re-evaluated in Austin.

Once Disu went down, the Longhorns could not keep pace with the Bears in the open floor and at the free throw line. BU outscored Texas 53-37 in the second half and finished with 42 attempts at the free throw line compared to Texas’ 21. That doubling-up at the charity stripe was referenced three times by Terry in his post-game news conference.

Baylor was able to make stops and made them often after Disu went down. Without much of a second offensive option, the Bears could focus their attention on Abmas who did not have another scoring threat on the floor alongside him. As a result, Texas missed 11 straight shots between the 13:15 and 3:34 marks in the second half. Meanwhile, Baylor went on a 19-2 run.

Disu’s absence was also felt on the defensive end. Kadin Shedrick was thrust into 27 minutes of action, the most playing time the 6-foot-11 Virginia transfer has seen since he played 28 minutes versus Texas Tech on January 6. Shedrick posted a team-low plus-minus of -20 despite some bright spots in the first half.

The foul trouble caught up with the Longhorns as two different players in Ithiel Horton and Brock Cunningham fouled out. Cunningham’s fifth and final foul was called a flagrant-two after replay review, resulting in a couple more points for the Bears.

Thanks to the flagrant foul free throws, Baylor took a 76-70 lead with 5:35 remaining. The Longhorns would shrink it to five with under four minutes to play, but Baylor would then pull away as both teams cycled deep bench players into the game on the Bears’ senior night.

Jalen Bridges finished with a career-high 32 points for the Bears on 8-of-11 shooting, including a 6-for-7 night from three. Bridges converted 10-of-13 attempts at the line. RayJ Dennis, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Josh Ojianwuna all scored in double-figures for Baylor.

After the game, Abmas did not want to pin blame on lack of chemistry with players who were pressed into more extended action in because of Disu’s injury. Rather, he said Texas did not play the defense necessary for victory.

“We practice with everybody,” Abmas said. “We knew we have chemistry with everybody. I thought we missed some good looks on offense in the second half. The importance is on the defensive end. We didn’t get enough stops.”

Abmas posted 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting. Shedrick scored 14 points and pulled down three rebounds. Tyrese Hunter was the only other Longhorn in double-figures with a quiet 12 points. Six of those came within the first 76 seconds of the contest.

Horton scored eight points and pulled down nine rebounds, one board shy of his career high. Big 12 newcomer of the week Chendall Weaver scored five points in a foul-laden 13 minutes.

Texas shot 57 percent in the first half including a 54 percent showing from three-point range. Abmas was 7-for-9 and 3-of-5 from three for 17 points in the opening 20 minutes. The Longhorns entered the break up 48-40.

Most of those minutes took place without Disu. Prior to the injury, Disu was a game-time decision due to a stomach virus. He battled, scoring three points in eight minutes.

The Longhorns needed everything Abmas provided as Bridges was shooting at a torrid pace himself in the first 20 minutes, something that continued throughout the rest of the gam. Bridges scored 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting, hitting all five of his three-point attempts. Bridges’ effort helped the Bears enter halftime only down single digits despite trailing by as many as 14.

It was the Longhorns’ first-ever appearance in Foster Pavilion, the new home of the Bears, and the last contest between the two longtime foes. The loss means Texas’ last win in Waco occurred in 2016 when Shaka Smart was head coach of the Horns.

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The Longhorns dropped to 19-11 and 8-9 in Big 12 play. Texas’ season finale is Saturday against the rival Oklahoma Sooners. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.