Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (11/04/2026) — The Texas Longhorns opened the 2026 season with a commanding performance at Moody Center, overpowering the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs 98-50 on Wednesday night in front of 10,807 fans.
A Statement Opener
Texas shot 61 percent from the field, outrebounded Gardner-Webb 37-23, and held a 17-to-10 assist-to-turnover advantage while forcing 23 turnovers from the Runnin' Bulldogs. The result was never in question after the game's opening minutes, and the Longhorns demonstrated the kind of depth and balance that signals early-season intent.
How It Happened
Matas Vokietaitis set the tone immediately, converting a dunk just 21 seconds into the game. Gardner-Webb briefly responded — Seth Brown hit an 18-foot pullup jumper at the 18:58 mark to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a 4-2 lead, the first and last time they would hold an advantage. Elyjah Freeman and David Punch answered with back-to-back dunks, and Texas never looked back.
The Longhorns steadily extended the margin through the first half. Isaiah Johnson connected from 25 feet to push Texas to 10-6, and Punch continued to punish Gardner-Webb in the paint. Austin Goosby buried a 23-footer to push the advantage to 19-6 before Gardner-Webb's Jamias Ferere knocked down a three to make it 19-9. It was the closest the Runnin' Bulldogs would get.
Texas poured it on in the first half's final stretch. Joe Sterling hit a three from 23 feet at the 4:13 mark to push the lead to 41-20, then Isaiah Johnson drilled a 24-footer with 1:55 remaining and added the final free throw of the period as Texas walked into halftime leading 54-20.
Turning Point
The decisive sequence arrived after Vokietaitis put Texas ahead 35-20 with a dunk at the 5:25 mark of the first half. The Longhorns then went on a 26-0 run that converted a double-digit lead into a rout. That stretch extended across halftime and into the second half, with Texas pushing to 59-21 before Gardner-Webb could respond.
The second half held little drama. Marcus Spears Jr. slammed home an alley-oop from Freeman at 15:14 to put Texas at 66-22, then converted his own dunk two minutes later to reach 70-24. Goosby added another dunk at 10:54, Sterling followed with a 23-foot three at 10:12 to push Texas past 77, and by the time Sterling hit another three from 24 feet at 6:16 to reach 87-37, the final margin was simply a matter of clock management.
Star of the Game
Vokietaitis led all scorers with 16 points and seven rebounds, opening and closing scoring sequences with interior efficiency throughout both halves. His presence in the paint — a dunk to open the game, a dunk at 5:25, a layup to open the second half — set a physical tone Texas never relinquished.
Isaiah Johnson added 15 points, including two three-pointers in the closing stretch of the first half that helped turn a manageable deficit into an insurmountable one. Marcus Spears Jr. and Joe Sterling each contributed 13 points; Sterling's three-point shooting in the second half proved particularly sharp, as he knocked down three triples on the night.
Texas spread its scoring across the roster, with four players reaching double figures and the Longhorns collecting 17 assists — a reflection of the ball movement that produced 61 percent shooting.
What It Means
For the Texas Longhorns, this is an emphatic home-floor statement to open the 2026 campaign. Balance in the scoring column, superior rebounding, and an assist-to-turnover ratio nearly twice that of their opponent suggests a team with both the talent and the structure to compete at the highest level in the SEC.
For Gardner-Webb, the 48-point margin reflects the challenge of facing a Power Four program in a true road environment. Mikhali Pocknett and Jamias Ferere each finished with 12 points to lead the Runnin' Bulldogs, and Jackson Skipper provided a bright moment with a three in the second half. But 23 turnovers against a team as athletic and opportunistic as Texas made any path to competitiveness nearly impossible. The Runnin' Bulldogs will look to find steadier footing as the season progresses.
