AUSTIN -- Coming off their lowest scoring output of the season, the Texas Longhorns faced what felt like a must-win game at home on Monday night against the Kansas State Wildcats at the Moody Center.
Texas nearly set a new season-low scoring mark in potentially its final meeting with K-State, but a crucial Big 12 win made the struggles easier to swallow.
Dylan Disu posted a game-high 20 points and the Longhorns led from start to finish in a 62-56 win despite not taking their first double-digit lead until halfway through the second half.
Kansas State gave Texas its first-ever loss at the Moody Center last year in a 116-103 shootout. From Elite Eight to floating around the March Madness bubble, things have changed for both teams a season later after that wild game. The lack of offensive production Monday night was more proof, as both teams posted shot just 36 percent and went a combined 8 of 38 from 3-point range.
K-State started the game 3 of 14 from the field and found little room to operate against Texas' defense. There was a clear difference on the glass and from a physicality standpoint for the Longhorns compared to Saturday's loss to Houston.
Texas built an 18-11 lead at the 8:30 mark and eventually back up to a seven-point margin again at 25-18 after the under-4 timeout despite some pushes from the Wildcats.
Free throws helped keep K-State at bay, but the Longhorns went 4:08 without a field goal to end the half and took a 27-22 lead to the locker room. Disu led all scorers with eight while Mitchell had six points of his own.
Both teams came out in the second half without much offensive improvement, as Texas maintained its lead but couldn't quite pull away while the game remained within single digits.
The Longhorns were letting K-State hang around for far too long and it looked like it was coming back to bite them. Still looking for their first lead of the game, the Wildcats cut the lead to two at 33-31.
A eventual 7-0 run by the Horns woke the crowd up as Texas built its biggest lead of nine at 40-31. Abmas sparked the run with a jumper at the 14:04 mark that put him at the 3,000-point milestone.
A vicious dunk from Mitchell before the under-8 timeout finally gave Texas its first double-digit lead at 46-35.
After a 6-0 run from Texas to make it a 54-42 game, Kaluma converted a four-point play that sparked a 6-0 run for the Wildcats, who now trailed by just six with 2:12 to play.
The Longhorns missed some free throws down the stretch but did just enough to hold off Kansas State.
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