Texas Tech limits KSU's Tylor Perry to four points in the second half
One intriguing aspect of this game was that KSU's undersized point guard, Tylor Perry, was facing off with his former head coach, McCasland, who helped turn Perry into the 2023 Conference USA player of the Year.
In the first half, Perry caught fire to spark the 20-0 run and he would finish the first 20 minutes with 12 points, all of which came in the final 7:30 of action and all of which came from beyond the 3-point line. It appeared that the Oklahoma native who began his career at the JUCO level and who plays with a chip on his shoulder was on his way to a huge day.
However, in the second half, Perry was a relative non-factor. In fact, he would make only one field goal and two free throws after halftime.
For the game, Perry would finish with 16 points but he was very inefficient in the process going just 5-15 from the field. That included a mark of just 4-11 from 3-point range.
For a second, though, it appeared as if Perry might get the final laugh. His two clutch free throws in the final minute put his team up 59-57 after Tech had battled back to tie the game only moments earlier.
Fortunately, Toussaint's improbable 3-point play would lift Tech to the win as Perry was unable to come up with the game-winner on the game's final shot. After being the hero KSU needed in the first half, Perry was a negative factor for his team in the second and that was a huge reason why this game went the Red Raiders' way.