Texas outmuscles Gardner-Webb in 98-50 win

The University of Texas basketball team defeated Gardner-Webb 98-50 on Thursday night in Austin. The victory marks the Longhorns' second win of the season, extending their record to 2-0. Gardner-Webb drops to 0-2 after the loss.

Texas controlled the interior game throughout the contest. The Longhorns outscored the Runnin' Bulldogs 54-10 in the paint. Matas Vokietaitis, a 7-foot junior, played a key role in that dominance. He scored 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in 20 minutes. Vokietaitis played on his 22nd birthday. He has now made 15 of his last 17 field goal attempts.

Gardner-Webb struggled to find any offensive rhythm. The team went 12 minutes across the first and second halves without making a field goal. Texas capitalized on the drought by outscoring them 33-2 during that span. The Bulldogs committed 23 turnovers, which Texas converted into 31 points. The Longhorns also generated 28 fast-break points.

Several Texas players contributed to the scoring total. Isaiah Johnson, a sophomore transfer from Colorado, finished with 15 points. Freshmen Marcus Spears Jr. and Joe Sterling each scored 13 points. Sterling made three 3-pointers, adding to the four he hit in the season opener. Austin Goosby, another freshman, added 11 points and recorded five of the team's 13 steals.

The first half set the tone for the game. Texas closed the half with a 21-0 run, taking a 54-20 lead. Gardner-Webb failed to score during the final six minutes of the half. The Bulldogs shot just 33% from the field overall, compared to Texas's 61%. They also missed 11 of their 12 3-point attempts in the first half. Mikhail Pocknett and Jamias Ferere led Gardner-Webb with 12 points each.

Gardner-Webb was picked to finish last in the nine-team Big South Conference by league coaches. Their season started with an 86-46 loss at UConn on Monday. The team will host Erskine on Wednesday. Texas returns home Monday to face Grambling State.