Texas Tech basketball dominant in 2nd half during NCAA Tournament
Texas Tech slows Gonzaga’s top-ranked offense thanks to second-half adjustments
The only time the Red Raiders have trailed at the break in the NCAA Tournament was in the Elite 8 when Tech trailed 37-35. But a key defensive change helped slow down the Zags after the break.
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In the first half, Gonzaga was able to isolate 6-foot-8 forward Rui Hachimura on Davide Moretti in the paint and the Zags’ leading scorer had no problem getting easy baskets. But in the second half, Tech used Tariq Owens as Hachimura’s primary defender and it was enough to make the WCC Player of the Year far less efficient.
In the first half, Hachimura was 4-9 from the field will all four of his buckets coming in the paint and only one of his attempts coming from deep. But in the second half, he was just 4-11 from the floor with only two baskets in the paint.
This proved to be huge because as Hachimura goes, so does the Gonzaga offense. And when he was neutralized in the second half, the Zags’ shooting percentage dropped from 52.1% in the first half to just 36.6% in the second.
Tech's top-5 plays of NCAA Tournament thus far. dark. Next
The Red Raiders were able to get past the No. 1 seeded Bulldogs because they made the better adjustments while the Zags know only one way of playing and when that was taken away, they could not adapt. That has so often been the case for the Red Raiders and their opponents this year and is is a huge reason why Tech was finally able to reach the Final Four.