Shorthanded Texas Tech falls to Oklahoma in overtime, drops to 0-3 in Big 12 Conference
Mark Adams knew his team was composed of fighters.
On Saturday night in a Big 12 Conference game against Oklahoma, the Texas Tech coach learned something else about his team ― they're difficult to knockout.
Missing a trio of players, including Pop Isaacs, KJ Allen and Daniel Batcho, the Red Raiders were missing offense and depth which put them in a difficult spot ― to say the least.
Texas Tech's De'Vion Harmon showed that toughness each time he drove into the lane and finished a layup through contact, popping up each and every time, as he netted 19 points in the second half to lead a furious rally before the Red Raiders suffered a 68-63 overtime loss to the Sooners inside United Supermarkets Arena.
"He was a guy that was really hungry to play against the Sooners," Adams said of Harmon, who combined for 21 points in the second half and overtime. "I thought he played extremely well, much, much better in the second half. He had one of his best offensive nights. Thank goodness he had a great performance."
With the loss, Texas Tech (10-5, 0-3) have dropped their third straight conference contest at the hands of Oklahoma (10-5, 1-2), which had suffered a pair of home losses to Texas and Iowa State by a combined four points.
"I love how we bounced back," Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. "We had two heartbreaking, close losses. To be resilient in this atmosphere, they (Texas Tech) did a great job coming back down 10 ― to get it into overtime.
"We need that, to fight through, that adversity."
Harmon, who matched a career-best 23 points that he set at Oklahoma, finished a fast break layup through a foul and completed the three-point play to cut the Red Raiders deficit 52-48 with 3:19 left in the game.
From there, it became a back-and-forth contest.
Kevin Obanor, who played all 45 minutes of the contest and netted 15 points and seven rebounds, finished an alley-oop off a lob pass that provided Texas Tech its first lead of the game since the first half at 56-54 with 23 seconds in regulation.
Obanor’s athletic play capped off an 8-0 run, which was in the midst of a 12-2 surge over the last four minutes of the second half.
But, Oklahoma knotted things up as Milos Uzan drained a pair of free throws to make things 56-56 at the 14-second mark. The freshman came up big for the Sooners who were able to withstand the late charge from the Red Raiders.
“I feel like we just had to stay calm," said Uzan, who finished with a career-best 18 points, matching teammate Jalen Hill. "Basketball is a game of runs. When they went on their little run, I felt like we just had to get stops. And once we did, we came out with the dub."
With one offensive possession, and a timeout taken with nine seconds togo, Jaylon Tyson missed the mark on a corner 3-pointer that led to overtime. Tyson ended the contest with seven rebounds and four points on 1-for-8 shooting, including a 0-for-5 mark from the three-point line.
"The gameplan for that was to switch and no 3s," Hill said of the Red Raiders final sequence of regulation. "And, if got down to a late shot clock, maybe foul. But if (the player was) deep enough, just contest it. ... And Bijan (Cortes) got a block and we just got the rebound to finish it off."
The final sequence was a microcosm of an adverse game for the Red Raiders, who suited out nine total players — eight who were on scholarship — and had to extend minutes for several freshmen in key moments of the contest.
The Sooners made a few more plays than Texas Tech, which dropped its second home contest of the season.
"We were obviously shorthanded, but I thought we played hard for over 40 minutes and even in the overtime," Adams said. "Some of our guys got a little fatigued because we didn't have the depth we normally do.
"But certainly proud of our guy's heart and how hard they wanted to win. And after the game, boy, it was a very emotional locker room."
Injury updates
Isaacs, Batcho and Allen may not be available for the Red Raiders road contest Tuesday against No. 25 Iowa State.
After a fall in the loss to Kansas earlier in the week, Isaacs was place in concussion protocol. Batcho suffered a dislocated finger on his right hand on the subsequent possession — after Isaacs lost the ball following contact — as time expired. Allen has a minor leg injury, per Adams.
“If that’s the case, we’re ready to fight and we’ll go to war with those guys,” Adams said of the remaining players.
A new addition
Georgia forward KyeRon Lindsay announced his commitment to join the Texas Tech Basketball team late Friday, per Joe Tipton of On3.
The former Denton Guyer standout returns to the state of Texas as he will be a mid-year transfer for the Red Raiders, who owned an extra scholarship. Lindsay will not be available until next season, due to NCAA transfer rules.
Before entering his name into the transfer portal, Lindsay played in 10 games at Georgia, starting in eight of those contests. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound freshman averaged 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He also chipped in nine steals and four blocks.
Lindsay, who originally signed with UNLV, elected to join Mike White and Georgia. He’s expected to be part of the Class of 2023, which includes two November signees: Frisco Memorial three-star, 6-5 shooting guard Drew Steffe and Riverview High School (Sarasota, Fla.) three-star, 6-3 shooting guard Jason Jackson.
What's next: Texas Tech is slated to take on No. 25 Iowa State at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Red Raiders complete the week-long road trip with a 7 p.m. Jan. 14 contest against No. 6 Texas,
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Shorthanded Texas Tech falls to Oklahoma in overtime, drops to 0-3 in Big 12 Conference
