Texas Tech basketball: Tariq Owens key in 2nd half vs. KSU

Saturday afternoon, senior forward Tariq Owens came up huge in the second half helping the Texas Tech basketball team hold off Kansas State.

For the first ten minutes of the second half of the Texas Tech basketball team’s 63-57 win over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon, the Wildcats dominated the game in the paint on both ends of the court helping them cut a 15-point halftime deficit to just one point.

But thankfully, the Red Raiders’ senior forward Tariq Owens took over the game. Down the stretch, he made several critical plays that may have gone largely unnoticed but helped ensure that his team came away with the win.

Owens’ final stat line (9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and a steal) was nice but was overshadowed by Davide Moretti’s career-high 19 points. But Texas Tech would not have beaten KSU without Tariq Owens.

When we think of the 6-foot-10 graduate transfer, we naturally think first about his blocked shots. Averaging 2.4 rejections per game, he ranks third in the Big 12. And against Kansas State, he had two critical blocks in the second half.

With 13:04 to play, KSU trailed by only five points at 38-33 when Barry Brown Jr. blew by Matt Mooney and appeared headed for an easy layup when Owens came across the lane to block his shot.

Tech corralled the rebound and started a fast break which resulted in a Moretti 3-pointer to put Tech up 41-33. Owens’ play ended a 6-0 KSU run and resulted in a five-point swing on the scoreboard.

Later in the half, with KSU trailing on 46-42, Owens peeled off of his man to reject Xavier Sneed at the rim. On the ensuing possession, Moretti converted on a layup to put Tech up by six points as Owens’ defensive play resulted this time in a four-point swing.

On the very next Kansas State possession, Owens turned in perhaps his best defensive play of the game. But this time, it was not one of his trademark blocks.

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Guarding Sneed outside the 3-point line, Owens swatted the ball right out of Sneed’s hands as the KSU forward was surveying the court. Gathering the loose ball and drawing a foul to end the possession as he was knocked to the court, Owens hopped up to a thunderous ovation from the Red Raider faithful.

Though he would miss the front end of his one-and-one opportunity on the other end of the court, this steal was a turning point in the game. Tech had been lethargic since jumping out to a 17-3 lead in the first eleven minutes of the game and had grown frustrated by the pesky KSU defense.

But these back-to-back defensive possessions by Owens brought life back into the arena and the team helping set the tone for the remainder of the game. On the broadcast, the announcing crew went into a breakdown of Moretti’s heroics immediate after Owens’ steal glossing over the impact that his defense had on the game but those inside the arena could feel the shift in momentum and energy.

Another important play came at the 2:54 mark as Kansas State was still within striking distance at 50-42. After a turnover by the Red Raiders, KSU’s Cartier Diarra had a fast break opportunity. Hustling back, Owens was able to deflect Diarra’s attempted pass to a trailing Xavier Sneed, knocking the ball out of bounds and allowing Tech to set up its defense.

From the moment Tariq Owens stepped on the court for the Red Raiders, he has been invaluable. He blocked six shots in his Texas Tech debut and has since set the school record with eight blocks in his best game of the year against Memphis.

For a team that derives its identity from its defense, Owens is a perfect fit. He has proven to be exactly what Chris Beard needed him to be when he convinced him to come to Texas Tech this summer after leaving St. John’s.

And while there is no doubt that Tech desperately needed all of Moretti’s 19 points on a day when Jarrett Culver was held ten points below his season average, the job that Tariq Owens did defensively was just as important. As has been the case all season, the Red Raiders’ defensive stalwart continues to do the little things in helping the Red Raiders become arguably the best defensive team in the nation.