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Texas Tech basketball surges past Memphis in second half

By Matthew Conner

DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in the first half in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in the first half in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The Texas Tech basketball used a furious second half rally to blow past Memphis 78-67 Saturday in Miami moving to 7-0 on the season.

With 9:55 to play in the game Saturday, Texas Tech trailed Memphis 56-44 after being outplayed and outworked for the first 30 minuets of the game.  But a 22-11 run to close the game propelled the Red Raiders to 7-0 in what was its most gritty win of the season.

Playing most of the second half with four fouls, Tariq Owens set a school record with 8 blocks to go along with 13 points and 11 rebounds providing his team with a much-needed emotional lift.  Chris Beard’s team also received key contributions off the bench from freshman Kyler Edwards (9 points) and JUCO transfer Deshawn Corprew (12 points 5 rebounds) who helped make up for off days from some key starters.

Davide Moretti fouled out with just four points on 2-6 shooting which included three air-balls.  Meanwhile, Matt Mooney put up just eight points going 2-7 from the field.

But as usual, sophomore Jarrett Culver led the way with 20 points to go with 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.  It was a struggle for the Lubbock native to get going though as he had five turnovers during the Red Raiders ugly start.

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Memphis’ 5-foot-9 guard Tyler Harris led the team with 17 points, including 3 three-pointers, but only four of those points came in the second half.  Forward Kyvon Davenport added 13 points off the bench with the majority coming in the paint where Tech’s big men struggled, especially Norense Odiase who played only five minutes scoring two points and grabbing no rebounds.

Fortunately, Owens was able to refrain from picking up his fifth foul after being whistled for the fourth time with over 13 minutes to play.  After that, He was judicious when deciding to contest shots but was still able to change the entire complexion of the game.  Breaking Will Flemons’ program record for rejections set in 1990, Owens showed once again why he was such and important offseason pickup for Chris Beard.

After losing Zhaire Smith to the NBA and Zach Smith to graduation after last season, Texas Tech was in need of a rim protector and was able to find just that in the graduate transfer from St. John’s.  Averaging 3.2 blocks per game, Owens has improved on his 2.8 rejections per game from last season which led the Big East.

Being able to come back from large deficits has become a hallmark of this year’s Red Raiders.  Tech trailed USC by 13 points late in the first half last week in Kansas City before rolling to a 15 point win.  The next night, Tech found itself down by nine points in the first five minutes against Nebraska but was able once again to find its footing en route to a 70-52 win.

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That is a habit that Chris Beard certainly wants to see come to an end.  But at least he knows his team has what it takes to battle back when it finds itself facing adversity like it did against Memphis on Saturday.

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