Vokietaitis leads Texas past Grambling

Matas Vokietaitis dominated the interior as No. 7 Texas defeated Grambling State 93-62 on Monday night in Austin. The 7-foot junior recorded 26 points and nine rebounds to drive the Longhorns to their third win of the season.

Vokietaitis shot 8 for 12 from the floor and 10 for 12 from the free-throw line. He played 23 minutes and remains the team's leading scorer at 21.3 points per game. No other Texas player attempted more than seven field goals.

The Longhorns controlled the paint, outscoring the Tigers 46-18 in that area. Texas also held a 14-0 advantage in fast-break points. Joe Sterling contributed 13 points and Marcus Spears Jr. added 12 points, with both players entering the game off the bench.

Elyjah Freeman finished with 11 points and six rebounds. David Punch added 10 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Sterling recorded all 13 of his points in the first half despite committing three fouls in just six minutes. He shot 3 for 4 from beyond the arc and added three assists and two steals during that period.

Freshman Bo Ogden went 2 for 3 from long range, helping Texas reach a 55-27 lead at halftime. The Longhorns finished the first half 6 for 12 from three-point range. Grambling State struggled from the perimeter, missing 12 of 17 attempts in the first half.

Isaiah Miranda, a 7-foot-2 senior, played mostly on the perimeter for Grambling. He missed all six of his three-point shots. A week earlier, Miranda scored 29 points in an 89-87 win over Northern Illinois while shooting 4 for 5 from deep. Miranda also drew three fouls in the first three minutes of the game against Texas, two of them while guarding Vokietaitis. The foul trouble limited him to nine minutes in the first half. He finished with eight points in 23 minutes.

Mekhi Fitts led Grambling State with 13 points, while Antoine Shannon scored 12. The Tigers now hold a 1-1 record. Grambling State will visit No. 24 Kentucky next Monday. Texas will host Baylor in San Antonio on Sunday.