Over the course of a full season, every team is going to have flat performances. That was the case for the Texas Tech basketball team on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, the Red Raiders were facing one of the worst teams in the Big 12, Oklahoma State, and that was why disaster didn't strike.
In the Red Raiders' 64-54 home victory, Tech held an 18-point lead with 8:58 to go in the game. However, by the time the clock hit 5:09 to play, that lead had dwindled to just three points at 52-49 and Oklahoma State had the ball with a chance to tie things up.
That did not happen, thankfully, as the Red Raiders made just enough plays and free throws down the stretch to fend off one of the worst teams in the Big 12. It was a flat second-half performance from the Red Raiders, to say the least. However, Tech managed to equal OSU on the scoreboard in the second 20 minutes to eventually keep their 10-point halftime lead intact.
Tech shot the ball well to open the game. With OSU selling out to stop the Red Raiders from scoring in the post, the home team was able to take advantage of some open shots from the outside going 7-17 from 3-point range to jump out to a 37-27 edge at the break.
However, in the second half, Tech would go just 1-9 from beyond the arc. That cold shooting combined with eight turnovers led to a sluggish second half that must have frustrated head coach Grant McCasland.
What turned out to be Tech's saving grace was that the Red Raiders made 12 free throws after the break. Though the team was just 12-21 (57.1%) overall, they made just enough of their attempts to stave off the Cowboys after not having any trips to the line in the first half.
Tech moves to 6-2 in Big 12 play and 15-4 on the season. And there's no reason to apologize for having to grind out a win over a bad team, even at home.
In the Big 12, even the worst teams are capable of jumping up and biting the conference leaders from time to time. Tech didn't allow that to happen on Sunday even though they made life a little more stressful than anyone in scarlet and black wanted it to be.
Here are some quick thoughts on what took place at United Supermarkets Arena.
Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams injured again
For the third game in the last four, forward Darrion Williams rolled his ankle on Sunday afternoon. This time, he did not return to the floor missing much of the second half.
Williams has not been himself since he originally injured his ankle. He's failed to score in double figures in his last three outings after putting up nine points in 27 minutes on Sunday. During that stretch, he's shot just 7-27 (25.9%) combined.
Unfortunately, this season provides no Big 12 team with the week-long mid-conference-season break that has been the custom in prior years. So Williams is likely going to have to fight through this ankle injury and hope that he can keep from aggravating it any further moving forward.
Texas Tech big man Federkio Federiko makes winning plays down the stretch
With starting forward JT Toppin sitting on the bench with four fouls down the stretch, the Red Raiders got a nice showing from his backup, Federiko Federiko. The senior scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked three shots, two in the final minutes, to give his team a lift.
It was nice to see Federiko play well again after scoring no points in 18 minutes Tuesday night in the win over Cincinnati. Toppin was held in check with only eight points and pulled down just one rebound as he was constantly double-teamed by the Cowboys who were intent on preventing him from having a big game. That tactic worked well but Federiko came in and gave Tech just enough productivity in the paint to help his team get over the hump.
Texas Tech wins this game thanks to its bench
On a day when only one Red Raider, Chance McMillian, scored in double figures, Tech needed contributions from up and down the rotation. Fortunately, that's what McCasland got, especially from his bench.
Though Tech played only three bench players while Oklahoma State played five, the Red Raiders had a 24-7 scoring edge from the bench. We've already discussed Federiko's nice effort as a substitue.
Meanwhile, freshman Christian Anderson added nine points in 33 minutes and Kevin Overton contributed seven points to the winning effort. On the other hand, no OSU reserve had more than three points.
In a game that saw Tech's starters struggle to score at their normal rate, the bench's solid productivity was key.
Former Texas Tech player Robert Jennings has quiet homecoming
Finally, Texas Tech fans were happy that former Red Raider Robert Jennings, who spent the last two seasons in Lubbock, didn't have a big return to the South Plains.
The 6-foot-7 junior started but played only 19 minutes. Along the way, he scored just two points and grabbed three rebounds while going 1-4 from the floor. He entered the game averaging 6.6 points and 3.8 boards per contest but he couldn't even hit those modest numbers in his first game as a Red Raider opponent.