Red Raiders shock the world in Waco
It was only a week ago that Jon Rothstein was welcoming Mark Adams to the Big 12. Fast forward one week and the Big 12 has found out just who Mark Adams is and in a hurry. In the minds of all the "experts" and even the Vegas bookmakers, Texas Tech didn’t have much of a chance against the top team in the land. A $100 bet on Texas Tech to win straight up would have netted you $580. If Mark Adams and company couldn’t make Vegas a believer on Saturday afternoon, then Tuesday night surely did the trick. The Red Raiders strolled into Waco and left the Ferrell Center as victors after knocking off No. 1 Baylor, 65-62.
The Bears started the game on a 9-0 scoring run and led, 24-9, halfway through the first period. This Texas Tech basketball team shares the same fighter’s mentality as their head coach. Instead of turning it in down 15, the Red Raiders would scratch and claw their way back and cut the deficit to, 31-26 at the half.
After battling for most of the second half, Texas Tech would go up, 54-52, off a Bryson Williams three with 4:52 left in the game, and they wouldn’t rescind the lead from there. Multiple players made key plays down the stretch to help secure the win. Williams go-ahead three-pointer, the Adonis Arm’s posterizing dunk, and Kevin McCullar’s corner three were all huge plays down the stretch that helped lock-in the upset.
It was a total team effort for the Red Raiders tonight with five players scoring in double digits. Adonis Arms led the way with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, and he added 2 blocks on the defensive end. Bryson Williams continued to show he can be the man down the stretch for Texas Tech. He scored 8 of his 13 points in the second half and had 5 points in the last five minutes to help put the game away.
Kevin McCullar was huge in his return to action tonight with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He had 3 steals in the second half and sparked the defensive effort to help the Red Raiders complete the comeback. Clarence Nadolny continues to be a terror for the opposition. He scored 11 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting and added another 2 steals on the defensive end. Kevin Obanor led Texas Tech in scoring in the second half with 9 points and had 13 total for the game. He added 4 boards and 2 assists for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech was an efficient 50.9 percent shooting from the field, but it was their defensive effort that made the difference. The 62 points scored was the second lowest total Baylor has posted this season, and the Bears shot only 41.1 percent from the field. The Red Raiders held Baylor to their third-worst shooting performance of the year en route to victory.
The days of being double digit underdogs are all but over for the Red Raiders this season. Mark Adams and the Texas Tech Red Raiders now have the world’s attention.
