Local Teams

Matt Coleman III scored seven of his 17 points in the final 2:24 of the game and Andrew Jones added 15 points as host Texas pulled away late to defeat Prairie View 70-56 on Friday in Austin and stay undefeated.

It was just the second meeting between the two programs, the first being a 110-38 Texas victory in December 2005. This game was considerably closer, with the Prairie View (1-3) staying within reach until the final eight minutes.

Texas (4-0) led just 47-40 with 8:32 to play after a basket by the Panthers' Chancellor Ellis but used a 9-1 run over the ensuing two minutes to build its advantage to 56-41. A free throw by Jericho Sims gave Texas another 15-point lead at 57-42 but Prairie View scored the next five points. The lead remained 10 until 2:24 remained, when Coleman took over.

The game was statistically very even except in 3-point shooting and free throws. Texas hit 9 of its 32 shots from long distance while the Panthers were just 3 of 13. Prairie View also missed nine of its 20 free throws while Texas went 13 of 19 from the line.

Freshman Donovan Williams added 13 points for Texas, with Jase Febres scoring 10. Sims grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Longhorns.

Courtney Ramey, who entered the game as Texas' second-leading scorer at 12 points per game, missed all six of his field-goal attempts in 26 minutes of court time and finished without a point.

Lenell Henry led the Panthers with 12 points while Ellis had 11 for Prairie View.

The Longhorns led just 26-22 at halftime as Jones hit for 10 points. Both teams struggled from the floor over the first 20 minutes, with Prairie View missing six of its seven tries from beyond the arc. Henry led the Panthers with 7 points in the half.

Things will get considerably tougher from here for the Longhorns, who return to the court on Thursday in New York to face Georgetown in the 2K Empire Classic. The winner of that game will play either Duke or California.

--Field Level Media