Texas Tech beats second straight Top 25 team, routing No. 21 Baylor
WACO, Texas — No. 21 Baylor is suddenly struggling at home in Big 12 Conference play.
And the Bears' frustration almost boiled over late in Saturday night's 84-66 loss to Texas Tech when coach Scott Drew got a technical foul and Rico Gathers later was ejected for a flagrant foul.
"I wish we would have done some things different," Drew said. "As far as me with my technical, I deserved it. We average getting to the free throw line 24 times a game. We got there 11 times. It is what it is, 28-11 at home."
Gathers made a point to shake the hands of the referees before leaving the court with 1:46 left.
Taurean Prince had 17 points to lead the Bears (18-7, 7-5 Big 12), who have dropped three straight Big 12 home games — a streak that started with an 82-72 loss to then-No. 1 Oklahoma on Jan. 23. Before that, they were leading the Big 12 and had won 15 consecutive home games.
"I'm a senior and it's my last go-round, so I have to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself," Prince said. "Got to make sure the guys have short-term memory loss and come back to practice working hard and have the same expectations every game and not get down on yourself because we lost at home."
Keenan Evans scored a career-high 21 points and had two steals that led to consecutive baskets by Justin Gray in a go-ahead run. Gray finished with 17 points and Zach Smith, the other one of Tech's trio of sophomore starters, added 16.
The Red Raiders (15-9, 5-7) have consecutive victories over Top 25 teams for the first time since January 2007. They were coming off an 85-82 overtime win at home against No. 14 Iowa State.
"Whether it's Top 25 or not, we're getting better," said coach Tubby Smith, in his third season at Tech. "Our players are maturing and starting to understand, and they're experienced enough to know what we needed to do in order to win. ... They getting stronger, and getting smarter and getting better."
Aaron Ross added 14 points for the Red Raiders. Evans, Gray and Zach Smith were a combined 18-of-25 shooting.
Lester Medford had 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting for the Bears, who dropped two games behind Big 12 co-leaders Kansas and West Virginia. Johnathan Motley's 10 points included dunks for the Bears' last two baskets in the final 14 seconds.
Medford's buzzer-beating 3-pointer on Jan. 16 gave Baylor a 63-60 win at Texas Tech. The Bears are 4-2 in Big 12 road games, including a 10-point win at Kansas State on Wednesday, but 3-3 at home.
"When we defend, we win. When we don't, we lose. When we turn it over, we lose. When we don't, we win," Drew said. "We've got to do those two things."
Tech shot 58 percent (26 of 45) from the field, hitting nine 3-pointers. The Red Raiders scored 24 points off 16 turnovers.
FAST START, SUDDEN STOP
Gray's 3-pointer with 13:58 left in the first half put the Red Raiders up 14-4. Then they went nearly 6 1/2 minutes before making another field goal.
Baylor scored 10 points in a row in less than 2 minutes, with Prince's 3 starting a run that was capped by his driving layup after King McClure's steal. Those baskets sandwiched a 3 by Medford, who also had a steal that led to a layup by McClure. The Red Raiders had five turnovers with two missed shots in their long drought, but were down only 20-19 after Evans' 3.
TIP-INS
Texas Tech: The last time Texas Tech had consecutive wins against Top 25 teams was a victory over No. 5 Kansas on Jan. 20, 2007, followed four days later with a win over No. 6 Texas A&M. ... The Red Raiders were swept in the season series by Baylor five of the previous eight years.
Baylor: Gathers, back after missing the previous game because of illness, had seven points and nine rebounds. ... The Bears were trying to get to 8-4 in Big 12 play. They have won eight of their first 12 Big 12 games only once in the league's 20 seasons, back in 2012.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech hosts No. 3 Oklahoma on Wednesday night.
Baylor hosts No. 14 Iowa State on Tuesday night.
