Texas Longhorns Stampede Over BYU Cougars at Moody Center
The Texas Longhorns, ranked third nationally, delivered a commanding performance against the visiting BYU Cougars with a final score of 71-46. The Longhorns now boast an impressive record of 3-0, while the Cougars fell to a 0-3 standing.
From the opening quarter, both teams set a competitive tone with each scoring 14 points. However, as the game progressed at Austin's Moody Center before an enthusiastic crowd of 10,364 fans, it was clear that the home team had found their rhythm. The second quarter saw Texas outscore BYU by seven points to lead at halftime.
The third quarter was where the Longhorns truly shone; they amassed an impressive 23 points compared to just ten by their opponents. This surge was bolstered by their superior shooting accuracy from within the paint and beyond; Texas converted nearly half of their two-point attempts (49 percent) and maintained a solid overall field goal percentage of 46 percent.
Defensively, Texas also outperformed BYU with six blocks and eight steals contributing to their dominance on court. Their defensive prowess limited BYU's scoring opportunities and disrupted their offensive flow throughout the game.
The fourth quarter did not offer any respite for the Cougars as they were again outscored by five points. Despite matching Texas in fast break points with seven each and putting up a respectable fight in rebounds (35 for BYU versus 31 for Texas), it wasn't enough to overcome the home side's advantage.
A key factor in this encounter was turnovers; while both teams fought hard defensively leading to multiple lead changes throughout, it was ultimately Texas' ability to capitalize on turnovers that made a significant difference. The Longhorns scored an outstanding total of 17 points off turnovers compared to just seven by BYU.
Furthermore, free throw accuracy played its part—Texas achieved a high free throw percentage at approximately three-quarters success rate (77 percent), whereas BYU struggled slightly more from the line with only around half (57 percent) of free throws made.
As conference play continues to unfold across US Central time zones where both teams compete fiercely for supremacy within their ranks—the next opportunity for fans will be when these athletes take center stage once again under bright lights in future matchups broadcasted live from venues like Moody Center.