Texas Rallies Late to Stun Ole Miss, Powered by Vokietaitis’ Breakout Performance
AUSTIN, Texas - For the first 15 minutes of Saturday’s matchup, it looked like Texas was going to cruise. The Longhorns came out swinging, jumping to an 18-point lead and putting Ole Miss on their heels early at Moody Center. But what started as a potential blowout quickly turned into a battle, as Texas once again found itself in a familiar - and frustrating - spot: letting a double-digit lead slip away.
Chris Beard’s Rebels clawed their way back, flipping the script with a second-half surge that saw them take a three-point lead with just over three minutes to play. But when the game tightened, Texas didn’t blink. Instead, they locked in, closed on a 14-0 run, and walked away with a gritty 79-68 win - their third straight in SEC play.
The star of the show? Sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis.
The Florida Atlantic transfer was electric, dropping a game-high 27 points on an ultra-efficient 9-of-11 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the line. It was his fifth 20-point outing of the season, but this one felt different - not just because of the numbers, but because of the moment.
After Tuesday’s win over South Carolina, head coach Sean Miller didn’t mince words. He challenged Vokietaitis to clean up his game and bring more consistency.
On Saturday, Vokietaitis answered - and then some. He scored Texas’ first eight points, racked up 16 in the first half alone, and anchored the offense when it needed a steady hand.
At halftime, Texas held a 37-25 lead, having held Ole Miss to just 27.3% shooting (9-of-33). But Beard’s group came out of the locker room with adjustments that worked.
The Rebels opened the second half on a 22-10 run, flipping the momentum and grabbing a 50-47 lead midway through the half. For a stretch, Ole Miss couldn’t miss - shooting a scorching 83.3% through the first 13 minutes of the second half and finishing the period at 57.7%.
With 4:19 left, Eduardo Klafke’s jumper tied it at 63. A minute later, the Rebels were up 68-65. That’s when Texas’ veterans stepped up.
Jordan Pope, who had a quiet first half and was benched to start the second in favor of freshman Simeon Wilcher, came up clutch. The point guard drilled a three and converted the four-point play to give Texas a 69-68 lead - a lead they wouldn’t give back.
Wilcher, who played with poise beyond his years, put the exclamation point on the win with a dagger three in the final minute, stretching the lead to 75-68 and silencing any thoughts of a Rebels comeback.
Dailyn Swain didn’t light up the scoreboard like he has in recent weeks - finishing with just seven points, his first single-digit outing since January 6 - but he found other ways to impact the game. Swain grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, handed out four assists, and played 37 minutes of hard-nosed basketball.
As a team, Texas shot 52.9% from the field (27-of-51) and an impressive 87% from the free-throw line (20-of-23). They dominated the glass 36-27, turned those boards into a 20-9 edge in second-chance points, and outscored Ole Miss 32-16 in the paint.
This win wasn’t perfect - far from it - but it showed something that matters in February: resilience. Texas didn’t fold when the game turned tense.
They responded with composure, execution, and a little bit of fire. And with Vokietaitis finding his stride and the supporting cast stepping up, the Longhorns are starting to look like a team that can make some real noise down the stretch.