AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Freshman Tre Johnson scored 32 points, and senior Tramon Mark had 26, season bests for both, and Texas defeated No. 15 Kentucky 82-78 on Saturday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.
Texas (16-10, 5-8 Southeastern Conference) trailed 69-64 with less than four minutes remaining before making a 14-1 push. Johnson and Mark scored 12 of the 14 for a 78-70 lead with 34 seconds remaining.
Johnson converted just 1 of 8 3-point attempts but made 10 baskets inside the line and 9 of 10 free throws. Mark made three 3-pointers.
Otega Oweh led Kentucky (17-8, 6-6) with 20 points. Amari Williams had 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Kentucky, an adept 38% team on 3-pointers, hit just 6 of 24 against Texas.
Takeaways
Kentucky: The Wildcats played without two starters. Jaxson Robinson, their second-leading scorer and best 3-point shooter in SEC games, has an injured right wrist. Guard Lamont Butler who leads the team in assists, has a shoulder injury.
Texas: Arthur Kaluma, the Longhorns’ top rebounder and second-leading scorer, missed the game with a knee problem. Jayson Kent replaced Kaluma in the starting lineup and grabbed eight rebounds.
Key moment
Johnson, after missing a layup, grabbed the rebound and made a layup and free throw for a three-point play to start the Longhorns’ 14-1 run. Johnson, a guard, had nine rebounds.
Key stat
Kentucky, which averages just 10 turnovers a game, committed 15 against Texas, which turned them into 21 points. Some of those were fast break points, where Texas had a 16-10 edge.
Up next
Kentucky hosts Vanderbilt on Wednesday, and Texas is at South Carolina on Saturday.
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Mark Rosner, The Associated Press
