Texas Tech storms back in second half, hands Texas first Big 12 loss

UT’s perfect Big 12 record was going to come to an end eventually. Texas Tech came into Austin on Wednesday and will leave with a 79-77 win.

Texas’ perfect Big 12 record was going to come to an end eventually. Texas Tech came into Austin on Wednesday night and will travel back to Lubbock with a 79-77 win.

The Longhorns went into the locker room with a 10 point lead but it never felt like enough. Chris Beard’s squad was the better team throughout the second half, hitting timely shots and using the full-court press to their advantage.

Matt McClung played hero for the Red Raiders, hitting the game-winning field goal with 3.0 seconds left. He was the leading scorer across both teams and finished with 22 points on 6-14 shooting. Eight of McClung’s points came from the free-throw line.

Had Texas pulled it out, Greg Brown would have been the game MVP. The true freshman had eight of his nine points in the second half, including two three-pointers. He also drew two crucial charges and rejected four shots.

The Longhorns only got four points off the bench. Kai Jones, who has turned into one of Texas’ most important players, only got up two shots. Brock Cunningham and Donavan Williams both ended with eggs.

Free-throws also killed Texas on Wednesday. While they got to the line 31 times, they only made 18 of them. Jericho Sims missed two crucial free-throws with under a minute left, to keep it a two-point game. Texas Tech got a steal on an inbound to tie it before McClung hit the game-winner.

Texas now falls to 10-2 on the year, with both losses coming at home. The return trip to Lubbock on Feb. 27 should be a physical and emotional battle in the season finale.

Highlights

Next up – Kansas State on 1/16

Texas will next take the court on Saturday against Kansas State. The Wildcats are towards the bottom of the Big 12 rankings with a 1-4 record. Their only win has come against Iowa State, who is 0-5.

After the Longhorns’ loss to Villanova in December, they responded with a 21 point victory over Texas State. Look for a hungry Texas team this weekend.