FORT WORTH, Texas (Texas Tech Press Release) – Aaron Ross dialed up a career-high 16 points and connected for the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:47 remaining as the Texas Tech men’s basketball team grinded out a 76-69 road victory over TCU Monday at Schollmaier Arena.
The Red Raiders (12-5, 2-4 Big 12) snapped their four-game losing streak and secured their first Big 12 road win since a 68-60 victory at Oklahoma on Feb. 12, 2014, a span of 15 games. Texas Tech distributed 21 assists on its 26 field goals and piled up a season’s best 46 bench points.
The victory was No. 550 for head coach Tubby Smith in his career. Tech also pulled within one win of matching its season total from 2014-15.
“It was a hard fought game,” Smith said. “I’m very impressed with TCU. They’ve played great basketball all season long. It gets a little dicey when you only have one win in the conference like we did and they did coming into the game. I thought our bench depth was the difference tonight. I was really impressed with our defensive effort which is something we’ve struggled with over the last few games. It’s a huge win for our team.”
For Ross, he was a flawless 4-of-4 shooting fueled by a career-best three treys. He garnered 10 of his team-leading 16 points during the second half and has registered double figures in three consecutive games for the first time in his career.
Justin Gray tacked on 14 points and three assists over his season’s best 33 minutes of action. He drained 5-of-7 from the floor. Gray has registered double figures in four of his last five appearances. The Gray-Ross duo combined to bury five of Tech’s nine three-pointers.
Matthew Temple amassed a career-highs with eight points and four rebounds, while Devon Thomas chipped in five points and handed out a career-best four assists. Seeing his first extended Big 12 action, C.J. Williamson picked up three points, three assists and two rebounds.
Norense Odiase tallied eight points on a crisp 4-of-6 performance and grabbed three rebounds before he injured his foot midway through the first half.
Zach Smith filled the box score with six points, nine rebounds, five assists and five blocks. The five assists and five blocks equaled career-highs for Smith. Toddrick Gotcher and Devaugntah Williams came away with five points apiece for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech was an efficient 26-of-47 from the field and canned 9-of-15 from three-point territory. The nine triples tied a season-best for the Red Raiders. Tech compiled a 15-of-21 effort from the foul line.
TCU (9-9, 1-5 Big 12) turned in a 23-for-62 shooting performance which included a 6-for-18 clip from beyond the three-point line. The Horned Frogs hit 18 of its 27 free throws and scored 23 of the game’s 32 second-chance points.
Chauncey Collins racked up game-leading 19 points sparked by five treys, while Vlad Brodziansky tossed in a Big 12 career-best 18 points aided by an 8-for-12 mark at the free throw line and hauled down six rebounds. Michael Williams recorded six of TCU’s 11 assists.
“We’ve been struggling from the three-point line, but I thought we were able to make some early shots tonight,” Smith said. “The right guys were making shots. The reason we won the game tonight was because Justin and Aaron knocked down their open three’s. I thought we really pushed the ball up the court in transition, and that helped a lot as well.”
Ahead 55-51 at the 9:29 mark of the second half, the Red Raiders ripped off eight of the next nine points over a 1:58 span. Gray and Williams ignited the flurry with consecutive triples courtesy of Evans assists on back-to-back possessions to stretch the lead to 61-51 with 8:24 remaining. Evans rattled home a pair of free throws to match Tech’s largest lead at 63-52 with 7:31 to go.
TCU responded with a 16-4 spurt of its own to snatch a 68-67 edge with 3:02 left. Brodziansky led the charge for the Frogs with seven points which included the go-ahead free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt.
On Texas Tech’s next possession, Smith found a wide-open Ross off an inbounds play on the right wing. He sank the go-ahead three-pointer. The Red Raiders consolidated the trey with a pair of defensive stops. Ross split a pair of free throws at the 1:32 mark to extend the Tech advantage to 71-68.
After a Brodziansky free throw, Williams drove to the basket and hit an 8-foot runner in the lane late in the shot clock to put the Red Raiders up 73-69 with 41.5 seconds remaining.
Collins misfired on a three-ball on TCU’s next possession, and Ross nailed two free throws to capture his new career-high in points with 30.3 seconds to go. Gotcher added another foul shot to salt away the seven-point victory.
Texas Tech came out firing on all cylinders and buried 13 of its opening 18 shot attempts. The Red Raiders shared the basketball early and often en route to 10 assists on its first 13 baskets.
A 12-2 run midway through the first half stretched a one-point lead to a 34-23 advantage with 6:22 left in the opening stanza. The Tech bench did the heavy lifting during the spurt. Ross provided a triple to kickstart the spurt followed by a pair of Gray free throws and a Gray midrange jumper in transition. Thomas scooted through the lane for a layup, and Williamson capped the run with a three-pointer.
The Frogs recorded a 12-2 of their own to get back within one point at 36-35 at the 1:04 mark. Temple finished a layup through contact. Evans and Gray also tacked on layups in the final 1.4 seconds taking advantage of a TCU turnover to take a 42-35 lead into the locker room.
“The bench was the difference,” Smith said. “That group came in early during the first half did some great things and set the tempo. They created an up-tempo style of play, and we put more pressure on them. I thought they did a great job defensively as well. Our bench stepped up, played well and everyone gave us valuable minutes.”
Texas Tech wraps up a stretch of four consecutive Saturday home games and will play its fourth ranked opponent in its last six games as No. 6 West Virginia visits United Supermarkets Arena. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNEWS in addition to being available on www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
Fans can purchase tickets to Saturday’s game online at www.TexasTech.com for as low as $15 and on gameday starting 90 minutes prior to tipoff at the United Supermarkets Arena Ticket Office.
