Kevin Obanor scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, both season-highs, as No. 11 Texas Tech rolled from behind to overwhelm No. 7 Baylor 83-73 on Wednesday in a key Big 12 Conference matchup in Lubbock, Texas.
The Red Raiders (20-6, 9-4 in Big 12 play) trailed by seven points at halftime but jumped ahead, 43-42, on a 3-pointer by Obanor with 15:23 to play. It was the first of four baskets from beyond the arc for Obanor in the second half.
Texas Tech never looked back, pushing its advantage to as many as 13 points on two occasions, the last on Terrence Shannon Jr.’s basket with 2:36 remaining.
Obanor scored 21 of his points in the second half and recorded his first double-double of the season. Bryson Williams added 17 points for the Red Raiders, who swept the season series with Baylor, while Adonis Arms hit for 15 and Shannon Jr. had 14 for Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders played without Kevin McCullar, who was out with an ankle sprain.
James Akinjo led Baylor (21-5, 9-4 in Big 12 play) with 18 points while Adam Flagler scored 14, Matthew Mayer had 13 and Jeremy Sochan pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.
The teams traded the lead through the first 12 minutes before Baylor reeled off a 9-2 run to turn a 21-19 deficit into a 28-23 lead at the 5:21 mark. Akinjo had four points over that stretch, while Sochan had a 3-pointer and Kendall Brown hit two free throws to cap the run.
Texas Tech pulled to within 30-27 on two free throws by Obanor, but the Bears responded with a layup by Sochan and a three-point play from Mayer to extend their lead to eight points with 3:30 remaining in the half.
Baylor took a 39-32 lead into the break.
In the first half, Williams led all scorers with 12 points while Akinjo paced Baylor with 9 points.
The Red Raiders kept it close by hitting 14 of its 18 free throws in the first half.
– Field Level Media
