Sports is synonymous with pressure and as the old saying goes, ‘pressure can either bust a pipe or make a diamond.’ Everyone responds to pressure differently; some thrive on it while others are negatively affected by the heightened levels of expectation.

With Chris Beard making his highly anticipated return to the United Supermarkets Arena, there was no masking the amount of pressure this Texas Tech basketball team and coaching staff faced in this game. The Red Raiders were able to put that aside and rise to the occasion with a, 77-64, win over the Longhorns on Tuesday night.

“The thing about this game for our players and myself is it was really a lot of stress and responsibility,” Adams said. “All the students camping out. Even in the summer, everybody was saying ‘just beat Texas at home that’s all that matters,’ and we were hearing that echo over-and-over. We want to please the fans and do the best we can for them.

“I felt a little bit sorry the guys, but they enjoyed it and they handled it because we have experienced players and mature guys. I think a younger team may not have been able to handle that stress and not listen to those outside voices.

“I’m relieved, tired but also so proud. I’m just appreciative of the way our players played, and they showed a lot of heart.

“Our fans were maybe better than our players were, they were outstanding. They just showed why we have the best fans in the country, and I can’t say enough about them. It was just such an awesome environment. I don’t think I’ve experienced anything like that before.”

Texas Tech wasted little time getting things going against Texas. The Red Raiders would go up, 19-7, to start the game, but the Longhorns would battle back with a 12-3 scoring run of their own to cut the Tech lead down to three. The Red Raiders would respond and outscored Texas, 21-10, over the final 7:45 to carry a, 43-29, lead into the intermission.

The Red Raiders have averaged 30 points in the first half during Big 12 play and were able to put up 43 points against the nation’s top scoring defense. Kevin Obanor played a large role in that and had 11 points and hit 3 three-pointers in the first half. Kevin McCullar added 10 points and 2 assists in the first 20 minutes.

“Our gameplan was to be aggressive and try to push the ball as much as we could,” Adams noted. “We were able to do that in the first half but had a little more difficulty in the second. Our emphasis was just to attack, stay at it and be aggressive on both ends of the floor. I thought we were really good in the first half.”

The Longhorns were much improved on the defensive end in the second half and held Texas Tech to just 6 points over the first eight minutes. Texas would go on a 13-6 scoring run to start the half and cut the lead down to seven, but the Red Raiders responded to push the lead back to double digits. Texas would go on another 5-0 scoring run to cut the lead to six, but again Texas Tech would respond to extend their lead back to 11.

Bryson Williams scored 7 of the team’s first 9 points in the second half, and Kevin Obanor hit two big threes to help keep Texas at bay down the stretch. Every time the game got tight in the second half, the Red Raiders would flash their veteran poise and respond with timely baskets.

“Give Texas a lot of credit, they came back and they’re a tough team,” Adams said. “Teams that don’t like losing do that, so we knew we’d get their best shot in the second half.”

It was a total team effort for Texas Tech, and they had four players finish with double digit points.

McCullar led all scorers with 19 points, and he added 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal on the defensive end. McCullar shot 12-of-15 from the free throw line and was 9-of-10 from charity stripe in the final eight minutes. His aggression in attacking the basket was a big part of the Red Raiders’ success and helped close out the game down the stretch.

“Well, that’s just this team, and it’s great to have depth,” Adams noted. “We can’t all play great and there’s just certain guys that step-up.

“I can’t say enough about Kevin McCullar, he was outstanding. He just put us on his back there late and made those free throws and carried us on in. He was really impressive.”

Obanor finished the game with 17 points and was 5-of-7 from behind the arc. His 5 three-pointers were the most he’s had since the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament when Oral Roberts knocked off Ohio State. There’s something about a big game atmosphere that seems to bring out the best in Obanor.

“He’s (Obanor) got such a beautiful shot, we see it in practice all the time,” Adams said. “We all know he can shoot the ball, and it was good to see him do that. Hopefully it will build some confidence because we really need that three-point shooting. That’s something we’ve struggled with."

Williams was his typical self on Tuesday night and finished with 16 points and was 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from the field. He extended his double-digit scoring streak to 10 games in a row. Williams was the team’s offensive spark when they struggled to score early in the second half.

“With Bryson we just kind of take him for granted right now,” Adams noted. “He got a quiet 16 points, and that’s just what he does.”

Texas Tech moves to 17-5 overall with the win, and they now sit alone at third place in the Big 12 standings with a 6-3 conference record.

“I’m so happy for our guys,” Adams said. “To play a team that we were tied for third with makes it a good Big 12 win for us. I think it’ll give us some momentum going into February.”