No. 15 Texas vs. Wyoming live updates: Horns get off to slow start against the Cowboys

AUSTIN, Texas — After two games at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the Empire Classic, the No. 15 Texas Longhorns are back in Austin for a game against the Wyoming Cowboys at the Moody Center.

Despite a sold-out crowd at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for Friday’s win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, attendance at the first post-Thanksgiving basketball game, in terms of student attendance and that of season ticket holders, was suggestive of some holiday lethargy for a matchup without much appeal.

The positive for Texas, however, was the return of senior forward Kadin Shedrick, who was held out of the Empire Classic finale for precautionary reasons as he continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgeries. Shedrick’s last appearance, in a last-second win over Louisville, featured a career-high 27 points from the Virginia transfer.

Texas starting lineup

• Senior guard Max Abmas
• Junior guard Tyrese Hunter
• Senior forward Kadin Shedrick
• Sophomore forward Dillon Mitchell
• Senior forward Brock Cunnngham

Shedrick looked comfortable back on the court early, taking an outlet pass from Cunningham near halfcourt and scoring a layup in transition. Other than Shedrick forcing three fouls on Wyoming, his layup was the only positive early offensively as Texas started 1-of-7 shooting to trail 3-2 at the under-16 timeout.

When Shedrick connected on a right-handed jump hook on the right block with 15:10 remaining in the first half, it ended a scoreless drought of more than four minutes that included seven straight misses. Abmas connected on a mid-range jump shot on the following possession and senior guard IT Horton then hit a three for a veritable scoring outburst.

A lob dunk by Mitchell from Horton was an early highlight for the Longhorns, who took an 11-7 lead into the second media break thanks to a 3-of-12 shooting start from the visitors.