Texas Tech stormed back from a 23-point deficit to earn an 80-77 overtime win over No. 13 Iowa State on Monday at the United Supermarkets Arena. Kevin Obanor led the Red Raiders with 24 points and 13 rebounds in a game where he surpassed the 2,000-point milestone in his career and hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of regulation to help force overtime.
The Red Raiders (12-10, 1-8 Big 12) snapped an eight-game losing streak to begin conference play after they had trailed 39-22 at halftime and were down 59-36 with 12:38 remaining when ISU's Caleb Grill hit a 3-pointer. Robert Jennings would make a layup on the next possession which seemed inconsequential at the time but would spark an 18-4 run that got Tech back into it. A 3-pointer from Obanor made it a 71-69 game and two free throws from De'Vion Harmon tied it at 71-71 with 21 seconds remaining to force overtime. In overtime, a Harmon layup gave Tech a 77-76 lead before two Obanor free throws sealed the win.
"It's hard to put in words the resiliency and the heart that these guys showed," Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said. "I don't know as a coach if I've ever been in a situation where we were down as many points against such a good basketball team like Iowa State and came back to win. They're one of the most efficient teams in the conference and for us to come back and beat a team of their caliber is great. It says so much about our team and the team's heart. Their determination, commitment, and love for each other. I'm so blessed to be part of it."
Tech not only came back from being down 23 but also avenged an 84-50 loss to the Cyclones (15-6, 6-3 Big 12) in the first meeting this season in Ames. In the 2009 Big 12 Championship, Tech was down 48-29 at halftime and by a 50-29 margin early in the second half in an 88-83 win over Texas A&M for a 21-point comeback. The 23-point comeback over ISU is the largest comeback in program history by that account.
Obanor now has 2,022 points and 1,033 rebounds in his career which makes him one of three active players to hit those marks and only the second Red Raider – joining Rick Bullock. Obanor has now scored over 20 points in eight games this season, including three straight after he also had 22 points in the win at LSU last Saturday in Baton Rouge. He's now averaging a team-high 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season after making three 3-pointers and going 11-for-15 from the free-throw line in the win over the Cyclones and has 37 double-doubles in his career.
"It's a big win," Obanor said. "We're trying to get to the tournament. Wins like this, quality wins, in order to push back into the right standings. I'm just thankful for the group of guys that we have. Thankful for them letting me lead them and vice versa. I'm just thankful for the position that we're in. A lot of people, you know, run away from adversity, but it trains your muscles and endurance. That's what a lot of people don't like, but it is very needed to be great."
Harmon added 16 points and five assists, while Jaylon Tyson had 11 points, nine rebounds and four steals in the win. Lamar Washington led the Tech reserves with eight points, while Jennings scored six and Kerwin Walton had five. Walton and Tyson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a 46-30 game with 16:32 remaining when the comeback still looked bleak. Tech was playing without Pop Isaacs who was out with an ankle injury for the second straight game and Fardaws Aimaq who has missed the last three games with a foot injury. The Red Raiders finished the game shooting 40 percent from the field, including hitting six 3-pointers. Harmon made five shots from the field and was 6-for-8 at the free-throw line in the win.
"I'm not trying to get emotional talking about it, but we showed our grit today," Harmon said. "I mean, it's been rough. But our guys are so tight and for us to come back and look at the scores thirty to fifty in the second half, we got in a huddle and from then on we just kept going. There's not another group of guys I would rather play with."
Caleb Grill led the Cyclones with 24 points after going 8-for-12 on 3-pointers, while Gabe Kalscheur had 19 points despite going 0-for-6 on 3-pointers. ISU was 9-for-27 on 3-pointers in the game and finished the night shooting 47.5 percent from the field. Jaren Holmes added nine points.
Iowa State took a 39-22 lead into halftime after making six 3-pointers and limiting Tech to just 29.2 percent shooting. Obanor led Tech with six points at the break, while Jennings had four points to lead the bench. Tech was 2-for-12 on 3-pointers in the first half while ISU's Grill was 5-for-6 and had 15 points to lead the Cyclones. ISU had eight players who had scored in the first half and owned an 18-8 scoring advantage in the paint to go along with its 3-point shooting. The Cyclones had a 39-20 halftime lead in the first matchup in Ames.
Tech is now 1-7 against ranked opponents and will travel to play No. 11 Baylor at noon on Saturday in Waco. The Bears will be coming off a 76-71 loss against No. 10 Texas on Monday that took them to 5-4 in Big 12 play.
The Red Raiders are now 1-1 in overtime games and 1-4 in Big 12 home games this season. Tech had gone 9-0 at home last season and was on a 29-game home winning streak coming into conference play before losses to Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor and West Virginia on its home court. The Sooners took a 68-63 overtime win over Tech in Lubbock on January 7 in the only other overtime game this season.
