Nov. 24, 2008

Box Score

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) -A.J. Abrams had 17 points and No. 6 Texas turned in another strong defensive effort in a 68-50 victory over Saint Joseph's on Monday in the opening round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

The Longhorns (3-0) will meet the winner of the game between No. 8 Notre Dame and Indiana in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Abrams was 4-for-7 from 3-point range, keeping his hot start from beyond the arc as he was 8-for-17 in Texas' first two games.

The Longhorns had allowed 44.5 points and 28.7 percent field goal shooting while forcing an average of 22 turnovers in their first two wins. No. 3 looked very familiar.

Damion James had seven points in TEXAS' 11-2 run to start the second half. Saint Joseph's missed three of its first four shots in the half and had three turnovers in the opening 1:40.

The Hawks scored seven straight points to make it 48-37, but they came up empty on their next eight possessions and Texas had its first 20-point lead, 57-37 on a layup by Gary Johnson with 8:55 to play.

James and Johnson both had 14 points for TEXAS. Johnson led the Longhorns with 10 rebounds.

Rick Barnes a 250-93 record in 11 seasons at Texas and he is 452-227 overall.

Shane Victorino of the World Series champion Phillies presented the game ball to officials. The native of Maui, who was home for a charity golf event, received quite a cheer from the fans from Saint Joseph's, which is located in Philadelphia.