Big 12 Basketball: Texas Tech downs No. 7 West Virginia
By Stuart Gill
Texas Tech basketball earned the biggest win of their season by knocking off West Virginia 77-76 in OT at home.
In a game with 13 ties and nearly 20 lead changes, Texas Tech was able to come out with their first Big 12 win in large part due to their high free-throw percentage and ability to take care of the basketball. They defeated No. 7 West Virginia, 77-76 in OT, in a back-and-forth affair.
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Zach Smith finished with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Red Raiders, while Keenan Evans and Anthony Livingston chipped in 12 apiece. Esa Ahmad shot 5-of-7 to total 13 points on the night for West Virginia, but it was Nathan Adrian, who scored 10 and grabbed six rebounds, powering West Virginia on both ends of the court.
Texas Tech was able to spread the floor in order to find 2-on-1 match-ups near the baseline all night, which allowed them to take high-percentage shots and grab rebounds. Their aggressive style of play also put them on the free throw line much more often than West Virginia.
Livingston and Shadell Millinghaus provided an emotional boost for the Red Raiders in the second half. Livingston was seen amping up the crowd and his teammates, while Millinghaus was out-hustling everybody.
In the game’s final minutes, West Virginia would go on a five-point run, culminating on a huge second-chance Adrian 3-pointer to tie the game with 7.6 seconds left. Millinghaus tore down the court, but failed to hit the shot, sending the contest into overtime.
Texas Tech was out of sorts to begin the extra period, and WVU appeared to be stealing one away from the Red Raiders in United Supermarkets Arena for the second year in a row. Evans and Justin Gray fouled out with a few minutes left to play and the Red Raiders were left to scramble for a victory.
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But the Mountaineers couldn’t seal the deal. They made just 6-of-12 free-throws in the game’s extra period, allowing the Red Raiders to stay in the ballgame. After a Tarik Phillip 3-pointer, the Red Raiders got the ball with 30 seconds to play, down 74-76. After running out nearly the entire clock, Niem Stevenson was able to find Livingston in the corner for a gutsy game-winning 3-point shot. Jevon Carter would then miss the prayer from half-court, allowing the Texas Tech fans to storm the court and celebrate the win.