Texas Tech basketball: The top games of Matt Mooney’s Red Raider career
17 points against Gonzaga to help Tech to Final Four
Another game in which Mooney’s contributions might be somewhat of an afterthought was his 17-point, 5-assist, 3-steal game in Tech’s 75-69 win over Gonzaga in the Elite 8. The headlines in that game went to Tariq Owens, who turned in the most memorable play of the night with his block and save in the final minutes, Jarrett Culver, who had a team-high 19 points, and Davide Moretti who made two clutch 3’s from beyond NBA range late in the second half.
But Mooney was one of the best players on the floor against the Bulldogs. He was just two points shy of leading the team in scoring and he was far more efficient than Culver. Making 6-12 shots from the floor, he shot 50% as compared to Culver who made just 5-19 shots (26.3%).
In a first half that played out in an up-tempo style that favored the Zags, Mooney helped Tech stay in the game with eleven points. As a result, the Red Raiders went to the locker room down only 37-35 to the No. 1 scoring team in the nation despite having the pace dictated to them by the Bulldogs.
In the second half, Mooney made some critical plays down the stretch. The first of those came with 4:36 to play when he broke a 58-58 tie with a layup.
And with Tech up just 69-67 with 19 seconds to play, he hit two huge free throws. Just moments later, he was a central figure in the game’s most critical moment. Attempting to inbound the ball against the Zags full-court press, Mooney was contacted illegally by Josh Perkins leading to two critical free throws that Davide Moretti hit to put Tech up 73-69 with just twelve seconds remaining.
Aside from putting the ball in the bucket, Mooney was key in setting up his teammates. He found Kyler Edwards open for a 3 that put Tech up 42-41 at the 15:51 mark of the second half. It was Tech’s first lead since the 5:43 mark of the first half.
Just over a minute later, he grabbed a defensive board and then hit Culver for another 3 in transition to pull the Red Raiders to within 48-47. And with Tech up 51-50, Mooney assisted on Tariq Owens’ layup to give Tech a bit of breathing room.
It was one of the more underrated performances from any Red Raider in the 2018-19 season. Helping his team reach the program’s first-ever Final Four, Mooney was the best player that no one will likely remember from one of the most monumental wins in the history of Tech hoops.