No. 12 Texas Tech will look to build on a thrilling win as it seeks a season sweep against Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 Conference game in Stillwater, Okla.
The Red Raiders (19-5, 10-3 Big 12) hit the road after a wild 111-106 double-overtime home win over Arizona State on Wednesday. JT Toppin scored a career-high 41 points, pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds and secured a steal with 33 seconds remaining in the second overtime to lead Texas Tech.
“(Arizona State is) smaller, so just how do you take advantage of it?” Red Raiders coach Grant McCasland said. “We encouraged our team going into the game — let’s just not shoot any shots going away from the rim. And that’s where JT got going. I just thought he was putting his feet in the paint and scoring at the basket.”
The back-and-forth thriller included 18 lead changes and 14 ties. Texas Tech shot 57.4 percent from the field as Darrion Williams finished with 27 points, Chance McMillian scored 14, Kerwin Walton added 13 and Christian Anderson had 10.
The 111 points were the most by Texas Tech in a Big 12 game.
“We didn’t sign up for easy — we love it this way,” McCasland added. “This is the way we want it to be. I mean, let’s play against a team that makes all kind of crazy shots and let’s see what kind of grit we have to win. If you don’t enjoy that then you’re playing in the wrong league.”
The Red Raiders have won eight of their past nine games, with the outlier an 82-73 loss at then-No. 20 Arizona on Feb. 8. Part of Texas Tech’s seven-game winning streak before that setback was a gritty 64-54 home victory over Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys (12-12, 4-9) will try to pick up the pieces after a last-second, 73-72 loss at TCU on Wednesday. The Horned Frogs’ Vasean Allette hit a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Oklahoma State to its second loss in the past three games and fifth in its past seven outings.
Bryce Thompson led Oklahoma State with 17 points while Abou Ousmane added 15. The Cowboys were on top just once after they forced a turnover and got a dunk by Ousmane with 18 seconds left but could not hold off TCU. Oklahoma State missed three of its four free throws over the final 33 seconds.
Ousmane continues to impress in a bigger role because of the inconsistency of the Cowboys’ other big men, Pat Suemnick and Andrija Vukovic.
“They expected to fill larger roles and they want larger roles,” Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz told The Oklahoman. “But it’s a production-based business at this point, and Abou has produced. If you’re gonna get up and down the court at that pace, if you’re gonna guard ball screens and hedge them and be up there, that’s a lot of load on a big guy.”
–Field Level Media
