Forward Arthur Kalma recorded his second double-double of the season in a 70-66 victory over Syracuse in the final game of Texas Basketball’s four-team UKG Legends Classic on Thursday in Brooklyn, New York.
Karma, a 6-foot-7 senior who transferred to Texas from Kansas State in the offseason, led the way for Texas (4-1) with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Calma made 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line in 39 minutes, and added four assists, one steal and one block. Freshman guard Tre Johnson had 16 points and three assists in 35 minutes, and junior Chendal Weaver had 10 points, nine rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes.
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The difference in the game came at the foul line. The Longhorns made 12 of 14 from the stripe, including 6 of 6 from Johnson in the final 60 seconds, while Syracuse was only 9 of 18 from the free throw line.
Texas led 41-30 at halftime and built a 16-point advantage in the second half before Syracuse (3-1) rallied to take the lead with 4:09 left in the game.
With the win, the Longhorns advance to Friday’s championship game, where they will play St. Joseph’s on ESPNU starting at approximately 8:30 p.m.
This article was originally published in “Austin American-Statesmen: Texas Basketball defeats Syracuse to reach final of UKG Legends Classic.”