The No. 14 Texas Tech men’s basketball team defeated No. 23 Texas 77-64 to grab its sixth Big 12 win of the season.
In Longhorn head coach Chris Beard’s highly anticipated return to Lubbock, the Red Raiders secured a huge win over their former coach’s team in front of a school-record 15,300 people in attendance.
With the win, the Red Raiders improved to 17-5 and 6-3 in Big 12. Texas fell to 16-6 and 5-4 in Big 12 play.
First Half
The game started with each team trading blows. The teams exchanged one point leads until Tech took a three point lead with a tip shot from forward Marcus Santos-Silva.
Later in the period, Santos-Silva blocked a shot attempt from Longhorn forward Timmy Allen to preserve an early 8-5 lead.
At around the 13 minute mark, Tech forward Kevin Obanor drilled a three that put the Red Raiders up 15-7.
With Tech up 12 midway through the first, Longhorn guard Courtney Ramey sank a three to bring the Longhorns back within a single-digit deficit. A few possessions later, a basket by Longhorn guard Andrew Jones cut the Tech lead to seven.
With under eight minutes until halftime, Ramey made another three for the Longhorns. On the next possession, Kevin Obanor answered with a three of his own to give Tech a 25-19 lead.
After a quick bucket by the Longhorns, Obanor made another three to give the Red Raiders a 28-21 lead.
The Longhorns would make it a 30-24 game with a three ball from guard Marcus Carr, but Bryson Williams responded by making an open corner three to put Tech up nine.
With under two minutes remaining in the half, Kevin McCullar brought the crowd to its feet by draining a corner three that gave Tech a 41-26 lead over the Longhorns.
McCullar would score another bucket before halftime, and Tech went into the break up 43-29.
Kevin Obanor led the way for the Red Raiders with 11 first half points while going three for three from behind the arc. McCullar was not far behind with 10 first half points of his own.
Second Half
The second half started with both teams going back-and-forth. Longhorn forward Christian Bishop made a layup, but Bryson Williams answered on the other end.
Bishop sank one of two free throws to bring Texas within 10, but Williams would regain the momentum for Tech by splashing home his second three of the night.
At the 14 minute mark, Texas shrank its deficit to 49-40 with a quick bucket from Marcus Carr. A few moments later, Carr would sink another jumper to cut the Tech lead to seven.
Later in the half, Kevin Obanor made his fourth triple, but Longhorn forward Brock Cunningham responded with a made three on the next possession to make it a 55-47 game.
With under nine minutes to play, Obanor sank his fifth three of the night to give the Red Raiders a 58-49 lead.
At around the five minute mark, Tech guard Davion Warren got inside the paint, scored, and drew a foul. Though he missed the free throw, Tech still enjoyed a 64-52 lead. With Tech up 10 a few possessions later, Warren got a steal and threw down a dunk in transition to grow the Red Raider lead back to 12.
With just over three minutes remaining, Tech guard Terrence Shannon Jr. gave the Red Raiders a 70-57 with a tough finish around the rim.
In the final two minutes, Kevin McCullar sank a few huge free throws to keep the Longhorns at bay. With under a minute to play, Tech guard Mylik Wilson threw down a hammer that iced the game, and the Red Raiders came away with a 77-64 victory.
Postgame Comments
Tech head coach Mark Adams said the team executed well in the first half, but they were prepared to withstand a second half surge from a tough Texas team.
“Our emphasis was just attack, just stay out there and be aggressive on both ends of the floor and I thought we were really good in the first half but give Texas a lot of credit.” Adams said. “They came back and they’re a tough team and teams that don’t like losing do that, so we knew we would get their best shot in the second half.
Texas head coach Chris Beard said the game was not about him.
“You guys understand that I respect the opponent and I respect the game, and so tonight wasn’t about me.” Beard said. “I congratulate Texas Tech on a good home win in the Big 12.”
Stat Leaders
- Kevin McCullar led the Red Raiders in points with 19. 12 came from free throws.
- Kevin Obanor finished with 17 points while shooting five for seven from three.
- Bryson Williams had another double-digit scoring night with 16 points.
- Guard Adonis Arms only scored one point, but secured nine rebounds and four assists.
- Marcus Carr led the way for Texas with 18 points.
- Courtney Ramey was Texas’ second leading scorer with 12 points, all of them in the first half.
More postgame comments are posted on Twitter @KTXT_Sports.
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