awayTeamLogo Texas 57 homeTeamLogo Kansas 65
Thursday, March 14, 2019 09:30 PM (ET)

Dotson, Lawson pace No. 17 Kansas past Texas

Field Level Media
Mar 15, 2019

Freshman guard Devon Dotson scored 17 points, and junior forward Dedric Lawson added 16 Thursday as No. 17 Kansas tripped Texas 65-57 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament at Kansas City, Mo.

Freshman center David McCormack also provided an impact underneath, contributing 13 points and nine rebounds as the Jayhawks (24-8) improved to 21-3 in opening games at the Big 12 tournament.

Kansas, the defending champion looking for its 12th conference tournament title in the Big 12 era, will face West Virginia in the semifinal round Friday.

Dotson's drives often broke down the Texas defense. The super quick freshman also distributed four assists, though the Longhorns (16-16) remained within striking distance inside the final media timeout.

Freshman guard Quentin Grimes added 12 points for the Jayhawks.

A 3-pointer by senior guard Kerwin Roach II, who was suspended the previous five games as Texas went 1-4, with 2:43 left made it 61-57. Texas then went scoreless the rest of the way.

With the loss, the Longhorns' NCAA Tournament hopes look grim. No team with 16 defeats or a .500 record has ever drawn an NCAA bid.

If Texas does not play in the NCAA field, it will mark the second time it missed out under fourth-year coach Shaka Smart, who previously guided VCU to a Final Four bid in 2011 by beating Kansas in a regional final.

Senior forward Dylan Osetkowski led Texas with 18 points. Forward Jaxson Hayes, the Big 12 freshman of the year, was helped off the court in pain with 1:58 remaining after scoring just two points.

Kansas started 4 of 4 from the field and gained a 9-2 lead, but that was the biggest advantage to a first half that ended in a 29-29 tie.

Neither team sustained much rhythm, though two 7-0 runs enabled the Longhorns to tighten the game. Osetkowski scored eight first-half points to pace Texas.

McCormack and Lawson each netted nine first-half points to lead Kansas.

--Field Level Media

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