Ohio State scored the first 5 points of the game, but the Buckeyes weren’t able to pull away until a 6-0 run gave them a 16-8 lead midway through the first half. Texas Tech answered with a 6-0 run of their own to make the score 16-14. Ohio State maintained the lead, but never led by more than 6 points. Texas Tech trailed 37-33 at the half.
The Red Raiders started the second half with a 6-0 run, giving Texas Tech a 39-37 lead with 18:01 left in the game. The two teams exchanged the lead until Texas Tech used a 7-0 run to take a 57-52 lead with 7:55 to go. An 8-0 Red Raider run made the score 69-6 with just 2:04 left in the game. The Red Raiders made their free throws down the stretch to take the 80-72 victory.
Offense
This game was a bit of a mixed bag offensively. The offense wasn’t as potent as it had been in recent games, but 4 Red Raiders finished the game in double figures. The biggest problem was the 13 Texas Tech turnovers. Andre Emmett scored 27 to lead the way. Devonne Giles scored 17 points to go along with his 8 rebounds. Ronald Ross scored 15 points and dished out 7 assists. Robert Tomaszek scored 10 points to continue a string of good games. The Red Raiders are going to need to protect the basketball better if they are going to compete with the better teams in the Big Twelve. IF they can correct that problem, they should have a good shot at finishing in the top half of the conference.
Defense
Today’s victory should be credited to the defense. Despite a sub par game offensively, the Red Raiders kept themselves in the game with a great defensive effort. The never say quit attitude of this defense will pay dividends in conference play.