http://www.texastech.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/030916aaa.html
TexasTech.com: Men’s Basketball Eliminated by TCU at Big 12 Tournament, 67-62
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Zach Smith secured his first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, but the Texas Tech men’s basketball team was dealt a 67-62 loss by TCU during Wednesday’s opening round of the Big 12 Tournament at the Sprint Center.
The Red Raiders (19-12) have dropped their first game at the Big 12 Tournament in three straight seasons. Texas Tech will turn its attention to the NCAA Selection Show for the announcement of the NCAA Field of 68 which airs Sunday at 4:30 p.m. CT on CBS, while TCU (12-20) advances to face No. 9 West Virginia in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.
“Certainly, I want to commend TCU,” Texas Tech head coach Tubby Smith said. “Coach Johnson had his team ready to play. Things just didn’t go well, we didn’t shoot the ball well. When that happens, we have a tough time. But I really was impressed with Zach (Smith). He really came ready to play. It was a disappointment, but again we got outplayed and outhustled and probably outcoached.”
For Smith, he was 5-of-10 from the floor and has reached double figures in six of his last nine outings. The 15 rebounds was a program-record for a Big 12 Tournament game. The previous mark was 14 shared by Gionet Cooper against Kansas State in 1998 and Andre Emmett versus Oklahoma State in 2002. Smith also matched a career-best with three steals and added two assists.
Justin Gray tucked away 10 of his 13 points during the opening half. He tacked on five rebounds and two steals over a season’s long 34 minutes of court time.
Norense Odiase registered 10 points and six rebounds in his first extended action after he missed 12 games due to an injury.
Toddrick Gotcher scored all nine of his points during the second half but was bottled up for a 3-of-10 shooting clip. Devaugntah Williams secured six points and a season-high five assists whereas Keenan Evans added five points and two assists.
Texas Tech was 25-of-63 from the floor, 5-of-18 from three-point territory and 7-of-11 at the foul line. The 11 free throw attempts was Tech’s second-lowest total of the season. The Red Raiders amassed a 37-34 rebounding advantage and scored 26 of the game’s 44 paint points.
TCU connected on a 20-for-47 shooting performance and buried 10-of-21 from beyond the three-point line. The Horned Frogs knocked down 17-for-23 at the charity stripe and attempted 17 of their 23 foul shots after halftime. Chauncey Collins was one of four TCU players to reach double figures and dialed up 16 of his game-leading 19 points in the first half. Brandon Parrish notched 15 points followed by Vlad Brodziansky’s 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Malique Trent turned in 10 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Horned Frogs.
Texas Tech built a 7-0 advantage in the game’s opening moments. Gray started strong with a reverse layup on the baseline and connected on a trey from the top of the key.
TCU responded with 15 of the next 19 points to secure a 19-15 lead midway through the first half. Collins and Parish sparked the Frogs and combined for a trio of three-pointers.
The two teams played within a single possession for the rest of the half. The Red Raiders took a 31-30 halftime edge as Williams found Smith for a midrange jumper on the left baseline to beat the buzzer.
Much like the first half, Tech started strong and extended the lead to 36-30 at the 17:55 mark after five quick points courtesy of Gotcher.
TCU charged back with a 13-0 spurt over the next 4:31 to take its largest lead at 43-36. The flurry was ignited by Parrish and Brodziansky triples and capped by a JD Miller dunk off a steal.
The Red Raiders worked their way back to even at 45-45 with 11:07 remaining after consecutive layups from Williams, Evans and Odiase.
The score was deadlocked for the 10th time at 58-58 after a Smith runner with 1:18 left. The Horned Frogs received a Brodziansky layup and a traditional three-point play from Trent to regain a 63-58 edge with 34.3 seconds to go.
Texas Tech got as close as 64-62 with 16 seconds after a Ross layup from Smith off a high-low feed. The Red Raiders almost forced TCU into a five-second count on the ensuing inbounds play, but the Frogs were granted their final timeout. Collins sealed the four-point win with a pair of free throws.
“The body of work we’ve put in throughout the year, the strength of schedule and the wins we’ve had, I think we’ve got a very good shot of getting in (the NCAA Tournament), Smith said. “We’ll have to see, but we didn’t help ourselves tonight obviously. But again, TCU, you get in a tournament like this, a lot of teams get beat in the first — somebody’s going to lose. We just didn’t have it tonight.
Texas Tech will await an at-large bid into the NCAA Field of 68. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air Sunday at 4:30 p.m. CT on CBS.
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