By: Ryan Mainville – Daily Toreador
On Monday, No. 15 Texas Tech fell to Oklahoma State 69-74 inside of Gallagher Iba Arena.
“Tonight, we showed we were aggressive, but we needed to maintain it the whole game,” senior forward Marcus Santos-Silva said after the game.
The Red Raiders were without junior guard Jamarius Burton, as he sat with a toe tendon issue, according to a Tech Athletics release.
Tech started the game out sloppy offensively, committing three turnovers in the first five minutes of the game.
As the half went on, the Red Raiders found a nice scoring balance in their offense. Heading into the under-12-minute media timeout, four starters had scored four points.
Sophomore guard Kevin McCullar helped add fill the box score for Tech, scoring eight points in his first 10 minutes of action.
Both teams stayed neck-and-neck, with Tech leading 25-24 with just under seven minutes left in the first half.
As the first half neared its close, Tech capitalized off turnovers. Tech scored eight points off seven Oklahoma State turnovers in the first half.
Sophomore guard Terrence Shannon, who continues to battle an ankle injury, settled into the first half by scoring 10 points.
Both teams played evenly in the first 20 minutes, as Tech went into the break with a 37-36 lead.
The second half started strong for Tech, as the Red Raiders opened on an 10-0 run. The defense was stout as well for Tech, as the Cowboys did not score in the first six and a half minutes of the half.
The Cowboys, however, responded with a 9-0 run to quickly bring themselves back into the game. The run stretched to 13-0 at one point, and the Cowboys were able to take a four-point lead.
Junior guard Avery Benson checked into the game and put a band-aid on the run with a made three-pointer, but the Cowboys continued to push.
Shannon continued to score with ease, getting Tech back in the game by knocking down multiple jump shots off-the-dribble.
Shannon and junior guard Mac McClung had combined for 13 second half points with less than four minutes remaining in the game, bringing Tech to a 59-59 tie game.
The Cowboys quickly responded with a 6-0 burst, but a McClung jumper cut the Oklahoma State lead to two with less than two minutes remaining.
As Oklahoma State made some big free-throws late in the game, they were able to push the lead to two points with 17 seconds left, giving Tech one final possession to win the game. McClung missed a game-winning three-point shot, but Tech was able to get the offensive rebound and tie the game back up with three seconds remaining.
The Cowboys could not make a final shot after inbounding under their own basket, and the game headed into overtime.
Oklahoma State opened the overtime period with four unanswered points, but Shannon quickly responded to ease the momentum.
The Red Raiders continued to struggle offensively, making only one of their first seven shots in overtime.
A tough layup made by McClung cut the Cowboy lead to one, but it was quickly pushed back to three with made free-throws.
Needing a shot to tie the game, Edwards was unable to hit a look from the corner. Tech got the ball back out to McClung, but another shot was missed, and Tech lost 69-74.
The Red Raiders did a good job at controlling the perimeter in the game, but the Cowboys attempting 32 free-throws erased any defensive advantage that presented.
“You guys have asked about the free-throws, but that’s not why we lost the game,” head coach Chris Beard said after the game. Beard mentioned his team’s 12 turnovers as well as a technical foul as obstacles that obstructed the possibility of a win.