Texas battles to beat TCU 99-98 in double overtime

Playing on emotion for a cancer-stricken teammate, the Texas Longhorns claimed a 99-98 victory in double overtime Wednesday night against 16th-ranked TCU.

“We all had one mind-set — win this for Andrew Jones,” Texas guard Matt Coleman told the UT radio broadcast in Austin. “Unfortunate news what he has. It’s sad. I know he wants to be out here with us.

“So, we just had one mind-set, win this for Andrew.”

Jones, a sophomore from Irving MacArthur, is hospitalized with leukemia.

The diagnosis was released by the family through the UT athletic department earlier in the day.

Texas coach Shaka Smart said it’s been a difficult few days for the Longhorns.

“After we talked to the team yesterday about Andrew, they were really, really upset,” Smart said. “(I was) just trying to help the guys understand what we could do over the next 24 hours.

“I said, ‘Well, no one should have a bigger ‘why’ than you guys when you take the floor.’ ”

Trailing by two points with less than a minute remaining in the second OT, the Longhorns retaliated when Coleman drove for a layup to tie it, 98-98.

On the other end, TCU’s Desmond Bane missed a jumper with 13 seconds left.

After the Longhorns rebounded for possession, TCU forward Kenrich Williams fouled Jericho Sims.

Sims stepped to the line and hit the first of two free throws for the game’s final point.

TCU’s Jaylen Fisher missed a driving layup with a second left.

Guard Eric Davis scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Longhorns.

Both forward Dylan Osetkowski (20 points, 6 rebounds) and Coleman (17 points, 12 assists) played 49 minutes.

For TCU, forward Kenrich Williams hit 7 three-pointers en route to a game-high 26 points.

Horned Frogs forward Vladimir Brodziansky added 19 points, including a bucket at the end of regulation and at the end of the first overtime to extend the game.

Texas sophomore Andrew Jones diagnosed with leukemia

Stunningly sad news is breaking in Austin today.

University of Texas sophomore guard Andrew Jones has been diagnosed with leukemia, the player’s family announced.

“After undergoing a number of tests & and evaluations over the past week, Andrew has been diagnosed with leukemia.

“He has begun treatments, and we hope everyone will keep him in your thoughts & prayers.

“This is obviously a difficult situation for our family, and we hope everyone will respect our privacy at this time.”

Jones played limited minutes in two games and sat out Saturday’s game at Baylor after returning from a wrist injury.

“Speaking for our entire team and staff, we love Andrew and will do everything we can to support his family and help him get back to health,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said in a statement. “I want to thank everyone for being respectful of the privacy that the Jones family needs at this time.”

Jones, a McDonald’s All-American out of Irving MacArthur, is second on the team averaging 13.5 points.

He was the team’s leading scorer when he went down with the wrist injury at Virginia Commonwealth on Dec. 5.