The Texas Tech Red Raiders could not get it done in Norman, Oklahoma, on Wednesday night, falling to the Oklahoma Sooners 70-55.
Oklahoma scored 45 in the second half as they shot 14-for-20 from the field and 8-for-11 from deep in a complete turnaround from the first half where they ended it down five.
Tech drops to third place in the Big 12 with a 7-4 conference record. The Red Raiders are tied with Texas, a game behind Baylor (8-3) and 1.5 games behind Kansas (8-2).
Tech is 18-6 overall and falls to 2-5 on the road this season.
Junior Terrence Shannon, Jr. and super senior Adonis Arms were both game-time decisions according to Tech head coach Mark Adams. Both played in Wednesday’s game, with Arms getting 24 minutes in a start and Shannon getting 17 minutes off the bench.
First Half
Junior guard Kevin McCullar made an and-one layup early, but Oklahoma went on a 7-0 run in the first four minutes.
Shannon immediately contributed with a mid-range jumper and two free throws to tie the game at 9-9.
Later, after going down 14-11, Tech went on a 10-0 run, capped off by junior guard Mylik Wilson getting the steal and finishing with a dunk on the other end.
The Red Raiders continued to hold on and convert off nine Oklahoma turnovers. Tech went into the half up 30-25 with 16 of Tech’s points off OU turnovers.
Second Half
Not even two minutes in, Oklahoma tied the game at 30 and multiple lead changes ensued.
Over three minutes, Oklahoma goes on a 10-3 run, including two Umoja Gibson three-pointers. Gibson, a senior, had 13 in the first half, but it was his 11 in the second half that really sparked the Sooners and gave them a 48-40 lead midway through the second half.
Oklahoma continued to stay hot, getting a double digit lead at 57-47 and carrying that to 60-50. Then, they didn’t score for four minutes and 34 seconds because of turnovers and missed free throws, but Tech didn’t do much better.
Tech missed five shots in a row and just one-of-nine shots in a long span during the second half, including four three-pointers and multiple shots where they seemed to settle, but their defense kept them within eight at 60-52.
Gibson hadn’t scored in a bit, but two triples at the 2:22 and 1:30 marks, he put it away for the Sooners as they got the win 70-55. His eight three-pointers is tied for a career-high with Jan. 2, 2021, where OU played West Virginia.
Key Changes
Led by Gibson’s 5-for-6 clip from deep in the second half, the Sooners shot a blistering 8-for-11 from the three-point line and 14-for-20 from the field in the half.
Tech was just 34.5% from the field and 10% from the three-point line in the second half.
A big difference? Oklahoma had nine turnovers in the second half, exactly the same as the first half, but Tech only got two points off turnovers in the second half.
McCullar scored 12 points and Shannon scored 11 points, the only Red Raiders in double figures. Super senior Bryson Williams had just five points, his lowest since Dec. 18, 2021 against Gonzaga.
Up Next
Tech will try to bounce back at the United Supermarkets Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m. against the TCU Horned Frogs (16-5, 5-4 Big 12). Tech is still undefeated at home with four games left at the USA. There are seven Big 12 games left for Tech before the Big 12 Championships.
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