Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Damion James poured in a game-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, as the third-ranked Texas Longhorns used a late push to take a 78-62 decision over the Pittsburgh Panthers in the championship game of the CBE Classic at the Sprint Center.
J'Covan Brown added 12 points for the Longhorns (4-0), who also won this tournament in 2005. Dexter Pittman, Avery Bradley, and Dogus Balbay each tallied 10 points. Balbay also added eight rebounds and six assists for Texas, which shot 51.8 percent from the field.
The Longhorns had to rely on their depth in this game, as starting guard Varez Ward injured his right knee during warmups. Ward, who is averaging 6.7 points a game, was taken off the court on a stretcher.
Brad Wanamaker ended with 13 points and eight boards for the Panthers (4-1), who beat Wichita State 68-55 on Monday to advance to championship game. Gary McGhee chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds for Pittsburgh, which shot 40.7 percent from the field.
With the score tied 51-51 midway through the second half, Texas went on a 14-3 run to essentially seal the victory. James started the burst with a three-point play and Alexis Wangmene ended it with a jumper to put the Longhorns ahead 65-54 with less than 6 1/2 minutes remaining.
Ahead 67-59, Texas closed the game out with an 11-3 spurt to capture its third November tournament title in the last five years.
Texas led for a majority of the first half and held a 32-23 margin after Gary Johnson made a layup with 4:46 remaining. But the Panthers closed the half with 11 straight points to take the lead. Dante Taylor's pair of free throws in the closing seconds gave Pittsburgh a 34-32 edge at the break.
Down 43-39, the Longhorns scored seven consecutive points. Brown's layup made it 46-43 in favor of Texas with 12:50 to play. About two minutes later, McGhee tied the tilt at 51 with a layup.
Game Notes: In the only other matchup between the two schools, Pittsburgh posted a 91-87 victory in the third-place game of the 1991 Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden...Texas beat Iowa 85-60 Monday to advance to the championship game...The Panthers turned the ball over 11 times.