Dylan Osetkowski's 19 Points Lead Texas to NIT Championship over Lipscomb

Dylan Osetkowski posted 19 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals as Texas beat Lipscomb 81-66 to win the men's National Invitation Tournament on Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The Longhorns hit 13 three-pointers, including four from Jase Febres, who scored 17. Kerwin Roach II scored 16 points off the bench.

Rob Marberry had 17 points for the Bisons. Garrison Matthews added 15.

Texas won this game for three reasons: Osetkowski's first-half performance, excellent first-half defense and solid three-point shooting.

Osetkowski scored seven of his 15 first-half points during a 22-5 run over a 6:06 span to help the Longhorns take a 41-27 halftime lead. The 6'9", 250-pound senior forward also had five rebounds, three steals and two assists in the first 20 minutes.

Lipscomb had no answer for him in the first 20 minutes, but Texas' team defense was also sensational.

The Longhorns held Mathews, who is Lipscomb's leading scorer, to just three points on 0-of-4 shooting in the first 20 minutes.

Freshman guard Courtney Ramey's defensive efforts helped slow Mathews down. Texas head coach Shaka Smart specifically credited Ramey during a halftime ESPN interview, and Wescott Eberts of SB Nation and Cedric Golden of the Austin American-Statesman both gave Ramey credit for his opening 20 minutes as well:

The Longhorns' defensive effort has been a trend.

In the third round, Texas beat Colorado 68-55 after leading 44-19 at the half. The Buffaloes shot just 32.7 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from three-point range.

In the NIT semifinal, Texas beat TCU 58-44 after leading 31-17 at halftime. The Horned Frogs made just 28.3 percent of their field goals and went just 4-of-21 from the three-point line.

The Bisons had a bit more offensive success than those teams, but they still made just 39.3 percent of their field goals.

Lipscomb got it going in the second half, scoring the first seven points. However, Texas got hot from three, hitting six over a 7:50 span and seven overall in the final 20 minutes.

The Longhorns seemingly answered every Lipscomb threat with a huge three or dunk before eventually pulling away down the stretch with a 13-1 run capped by another three, this time from Febres.

Texas finished its season with a 21-16 record en route to its second NIT title and first since 1978.

The 29-8 Bisons left without the NIT title, but they long ago set their school's mark for most wins in a season and have now won 20 or more games in three straight years.