Longhorns Drop First Game in 85-78 OT Loss to Illinois

The Longhorns faced a stiff test in the No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini on Tuesday

The Texas Longhorns faced their second-ranked opponent in a row, and their third in five games when they took on the No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

And after a back-and-forth affair, the Longhorns finally looked vulnerable, dropping their first game of the season in an 85-78 overtime loss.

Offensively is where most of the issues persisted for the Longhorns throughout the night, with Texas shooting just 42 percent from the floor, and 31.8 percent from beyond the arc. 

Timmy Allen was the leader on the offensive end for the Horns, scoring 21 points, to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds. 

Guard Tyrese Hunter also finished in double figures, scoring 10 points of his own on 4 of 11 shooting.

They were the only two Longhorns in double figures.

Off of the bench, Texas had 33 combined points from the quartet of Arterio Morris, Brock Cunningham, Christian Bishop and Sir'Jabari Rice.

On the other end of the floor, the Longhorns' defense was as advertised, forcing the Illini into a whopping 17 turnovers on the evening, including a flurry of takeaways at the beginning of the second half to help them take as much as a 10-point lead.

However, late in the game, fatigue began to set in, and the defense began to show holes, with the Illini taking advantage and making the push down the stretch, while also not committing a single turnover during the last nine and a half minutes of regulation or in overtime. 

Former Baylor Bear Matthew Mayer was the difference maker for the Illini, scoring, scoring 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 5 from three-point range. 

Following the trip to New York, the Horns will return home to the friendly confines of the Moody Center, where they will welcome the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions to Austin on Saturday.

The Longhorns also faced the Golden Lions in Austin last season, winning 63-31 at the Erwin Center. 

Tip off is set for noon central time. 

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You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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