Terrance Shannon Jr. scored 20 points to help No. 9 Texas Tech post an 82-69 victory over TCU on Saturday in Big 12 play at Lubbock, Texas.
The Red Raiders, still stinging from a double-digit road loss at Oklahoma earlier in the week, fell into a big first-half hole and seemed out of sync in the game’s initial 10 minutes.
But a late charge leading into halftime and a thoroughly dominant second half propelled Texas Tech (19-6, 8-4 Big 12), which is right on the heels of Big 12 frontrunners Kansas and Baylor.
The Red Raiders outscored the Horned Frogs 45-29 in the second half, forcing 13 turnovers and limited TCU to 44 percent shooting (11 of 25).
Bryson Williams notched 16 points and the Texas Tech bench came up with 36 points on a day when Kevin McCullar was helped off the court in the first half with an injury and did not return.
Mike Miles returned to action for the Horned Frogs after missing two games and led his team with 16 points, but he also had three costly turnovers early in the second half when the Red Raiders unleashed a game-changing 17-4 run to grab control.
TCU (16-6, 5-5) grabbed early control and was up 28-15 at the midway point of the first half, a lead largely built behind the 3-point arc where the Horned Frogs knocked down seven of their first 12 attempts.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech (19-6, 8-4) was scuffling on both ends of the court, perhaps the lingering effects of the loss at Oklahoma on Wednesday.
Before the deficit got away, though, Shannon got a hot hand with eight points to fuel a Red Raiders’ comeback, which stretched into the second half when they scored the first nine points after halftime.
Turnovers were a focal point for both teams in the turnaround. The Horned Frogs lost the ball 20 times, which Texas Tech converted into 26 points. The Red Raiders committed just 11 turnovers.
The Horned Frogs also cooled off from deep, finishing the game 11-for-27, with only four makes in their final 15 attempts.
–Field Level Media
