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STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Isaiah Taylor returned home and gave his family and friends a performance to remember heading into the Christmas break.
Taylor scored 26 points, one off his career high, and scored the game winner on a floating layup with fewer than two seconds to play to help Texas hold off a late rally to beat Stanford 75-73 on Saturday night.
Stanford's Rosco Allen, who scored 19 points, hit a 3-pointer with eight seconds left to tie the game at 73.
"My mind was racing the final eight seconds," Taylor said. "Unfortunately he hit the 3. The ball came to me and coach and my teammates trusted me to make the final play. I was able to get it up."
Cameron Ridley had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Longhorns (8-3), who won their sixth straight. Kerwin Roach, Jr. added 14 points.
"We got up by double digits and then we let up a little bit," Longhorns coach Shaka Smart said. "Isaiah settled us down out there. He's the one guy on the team who was cognizant throughout the game with a level of poise."
Dorian Pickens scored a career-high 24 points, including a 6-of-7 effort from long range, for the Cardinal (5-4), who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Michael Humphrey had 11.
"We went on a little run toward the end but we shouldn't have been down in the first place," Pickens said. "We came out with a little bit of a lack of energy."
Humphrey recorded a steal and dunk to bring Stanford within 70-68 with 27 seconds to play but Taylor sank a pair of free throws to maintain the edge.
"Taylor was amazing tonight," Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said. "He's one of the fastest guards I've seen the last couple seasons. He controlled the game all night."
Allen hit a 3-pointer to pull Stanford within 51-47 with 11:41 remaining to play in the game.
The Longhorns responded with a 10-2 run to take their biggest lead of the night a little over two minutes later at 61-49.
The Cardinal again narrowed the lead to four points and stayed within striking distance entering the final minute.
Texas took advantage of some early shooting woes by the Cardinal, who missed their first five shots and turned the ball over twice before scoring its first points five minutes into the game.
The Longhorns raced to a 7-0 lead and eventually took a 10-point advantage midway through the first half.
Stanford drew within two briefly before Texas pulled away and carried a 41-35 lead into the intermission.
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CONFERENCES OF SUCCESS
The Big 12 and Pac-12 are the only conferences in which every team has a winning record. The Big 12 entered play Saturday with an .822 winning percentage. The Pac-12 is right behind at .790.
TIP-INS
Texas' leading scorer, Isaiah Taylor, was raised in nearby Hayward through his sophomore year in high school. The junior guard received a noisy ovation when introduced. Longhorn fans had a notable presence among the Maples Pavilion crowd. "It felt good to play in front of family and friends," he said. ... This was Texas' first road game on American soil. "Everything is a little more frantic on the road," Smart said.
Stanford sophomore forward Reid Travis missed the game with a stress reaction in his left leg and is out indefinitely. He started the first eight games this season. He leads the Cardinal in rebounds (7.1), and ranks third in points (12.8). "Any time a dominating big man like can't play, you're going to miss him," Allen said.
UP NEXT:
Texas returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 29, hosting Connecticut.
Stanford hosts Sacramento State on Monday night.
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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
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AP college basketball website: http://www.collegebasketball.ap.org/
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