Darrion Williams drilled a 3-pointer to force overtime and Chance McMillian knocked down a pair of free throws with 14 seconds remaining in the extra stanza to help lead No. 22 Texas Tech to an 82-81 overtime win over No. 6 Houston with head coach Grant McCasland and JT Toppin watching the final 41 minutes from the locker room after early ejections on Saturday at the Fertitta Center.
"We knew it would take everything we got to get this one done," McCasland said. "We knew we would have to handle adversity too. I can't remember being a part of one like this. It is like the most beautiful picture of what being a part of a team is about."
The Red Raiders (17-4, 8-2 Big 12) extended a six-game winning streak and 11 straight years of beating a top-10 opponent while also snapping a 13-game winning streak by the Cougars (17-4, 9-1 Big 12) who had won 33 in a row at home. In a game with 11 lead changes and 10 tied scores, Houston had an opportunity to retake the lead after McMillian's free throws but had a turnover with a traveling call on J'Wan Roberts with Tech sophomore Eemeli Yalaho defending to end the game. Williams forced the extra session by knocking down a 3-pointer off an assist from Elijah Hawkins with 26.3 seconds remaining in regulation that ended tied at 72 before prevailing through five more minutes. The win gives the Red Raiders a couple program records - their best 10-game start in Big 12 play and a 5-0 road record to begin conference play.
"We all just agreed we weren't losing it," McMillian said. "It was a collective effort and total team effort. I took myself back to my routine (on the game-winning free throws). Just knock it down. It definitely sends a message to the Big 12 that we're here. We're just not going to back down."
Texas Tech played most of the game without Toppin who was called for a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected with 16:12 on the clock. McCasland was also ejected after the play just four minutes into the game. Toppin and McCasland will not face any further suspension. The Flagrant 2 was assessed after Toppin was double-teamed and passed out of it to McMillian who found Hawkins for a 3-pointer which gave Tech an early 8-7 lead. Toppin, who leads the Red Raiders in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots this season, was deemed to have kicked a Houston player in the groin area and was ejected after review.
McMillian scored six of his team-high 23 points in overtime, starting with a jumper to start the extra period and then his two clutch free throws. His 23 points matched his season-high and came with him hitting two 3-pointers and making 7-of-7 free throws. Hawkins had a 3-pointer in overtime for a 78-74 lead and would finish with 17 points, four assists and six rebounds. Hawkins was 4-for-7 on 3-pointers in the game while Kerwin Walton was 4-for-6 on 3s and finished the game with 14 points.
"Coach preaches to us every day to stay together," Hawkins said. "When things get tough, we stay together and figure it out. There's no outsiders, just us. Adversity came a little sooner in this one than we thought. We just stayed together."
Williams, who would foul out early in the overtime session, had 13 points, three assists, three steals and four rebounds. He was 0-for-4 on 3-pointers until coming in clutch with the game-tying 3-pointer. Christian Anderson added 10 points and Yalaho had four in the overtime win. The Red Raiders finished the game 12-for-30 on 3-pointers and were 24-for-34 at the free-throw line.
LJ Cryer led Houston with 22 points after making three 3-pointers while Roberts had 18 points and seven rebounds. The Cougars, who were the only remaining unbeaten team in the Big 12, finished the game 29-for-64 (45.3 percent) from the field, 5-for-14 on 3-pointers and were 18-for-27 from the free-throw line. In overtime, Tech was 3-of-4 at the free-throw line while the Cougars went 5-for-8.
Walton caught fire in the second half, going 3-for-3 on 3-pointers including Tech's first points coming out of halftime and his third to give the Red Raiders a 54-48 lead with 13:37 remaining in the game. Houston struck back though, taking a 58-56 lead with an 8-0 run. In what played out to be a game of runs, Anderson would made three straight free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt to cut a Cougar lead to 66-65 and it was once again a one-point Tech deficit with McMillian hitting a long-range jumper with his foot on the arc for a 70-69 score with a little over a minute to play. Two free throws from Roberts gave UH a three point lead before Williams made his shot to send the game to overtime.
"It speaks to the fight and grit of this team," McCasland said. "They're an elite defense. Our coaching staff and team genuinely believed we had the makeup to win the game. We don't care how many points we score. It's about executing what the team needs you to do. To get 14 offensive rebounds, get 30 3s up and get to the free-throw line 34 times here on the road, that's a gritty team. You can watch this team on film and know they don't give up baskets. They're as good as it gets in the country. You have to earn it in a competitive, aggressive way. Our guys were completely locked in."
Texas Tech took a 41-37 lead into halftime after going 7-for-14 on 3-pointers and having a 20-12 rebounding advantage. McMillian led Tech with 13 points after going 2-for-4 on 3s and 5-of-5 at the free-throw line, while Hawkins had 10 points after going 3-for-4 on 3-pointers. Williams scored six points and added two rebounds, two assists and two steals at the break and Walton and Anderson had five points each. Tech led 8-7 after a Hawkins 3-pointer but saw a double flagrant foul called on Toppin and an ejection of McCasland. Houston took an 11-8 lead after free throws before an 8-0 run by the Red Raiders had them leading 21-18. Hawkins would hit two more 3-pointers for a 27-25 lead with Tech starting the game 6-for-11 on 3-pointers. The Red Raiders made another push, going on a 7-0 run that was capped by a Yalaho dunk that started with a McMillian steal for their largest lead of the half at 34-27. Tech took the four-point lead into halftime with an Anderson second-chance basket on their final possession. The Red Raiders finished the first half shooting 13-for-25 from the field, 7-for-14 on 3-pointers and were 8-for-10 at the free-throw line. Houston went into the break shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 3-for-7 on 3-pointers and were 10-for-15 at the free-throw line. Cryer led UH with 13 points after making two 3s and going 5-of-6 at the line.
Texas Tech returns to Lubbock where it will host Baylor at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at United Supermarkets Arena before traveling to play Arizona in Tucson next Saturday. The Red Raiders are 11-2 at home this season and 26-4 on their home court under McCasland over the past two seasons. The Bears (14-7, 6-4 Big 12) are coming off an 81-70 win over No. 11 Kansas on Saturday in Waco after overcoming a 41-20 halftime deficit. The Red Raiders and Bears split last season with the home team winning each game but will only meet once this season. Tech earned a 70-54 win over Arizona in the first of two regular-season meetings this season on January 18 in Lubbock.
