Rush loses to No. 21 Longhorns in road exhibition
For immediate release . . . November 6, 2006
Box Score

AUSTIN, Texas — Sophomore guard A.J. Abrams scored 24 points in 21 minutes Monday to lead No. 21 Texas to a 103-53 men's basketball exhibition victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

Abrams scored 12 points in each half and was 6 of 7 from 3-point range.

Damion James added 15 points, Kevin Durant 11 and Matt Hill 10 for the Longhorns, who will open the regular season Thursday at home against Alcorn State.

Mark Stewart scored 13 points and Alfred Williams 11 for Xavier.

Williams' 3-pointer closed Texas' lead to 27-23 at 9:23 of the first half, but Abrams scored seven points to lead the Longhorns in a 25-4 run which ended the half.

Texas outshot Xavier 47 to 37 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Gold Rush 49-27.

"We were executing really well the first part of the game," Xavier Coach Dannton Jackson said. "We ran our sets really well. But Texas made a nice run on us. They got points in transition and second shots. Defensively they got after us."

Xavier lost both its exhibitions on the road to schools that reached last season's NCAA Division I Tournament — Arkansas beat the Rush 82-49 last week — but Jackson said he hopes that future preseasons will include visits to difficult opponents such as the Longhorns and Razorbacks.

"If you make a small mistake against Texas or Arkansas, it turns into a big problem," Jackson said. "Games against teams like these make us pay attention to detail. I think it's a great teaching tool. I think it helps us."

Xavier will remain in Austin for a 7 p.m. regular-season game Tuesday against Huston-Tillotson, then play Wiley at 7 p.m. Friday in The Barn.