Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 16 Texas
Texas Tech Falls To No. 16 Texas, 80-73
January 25, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 25, 2005
By JIM VERTUNO
AP Sports Writer
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Daniel Gibson scored 20 points, hitting all six of his 3-pointers, to lead No. 16 Texas to an 80-73 victory over Texas Tech on Tuesday night.
The Longhorns (15-4, 4-2 Big 12) went 14-of21 from 3-point range and made four in a row during one key stretch midway through the second half. It was the eighth game this season Texas has hit at least 10 3s.
Kenton Paulino added 16 points and Brad Buckman had 14 rebounds for Texas.
Ronald Ross scored 29 points and Devonne Giles added 18 for Texas Tech (11-5, 3-2), which came in as the Big 12's top-scoring team but shot just 37 percent against Texas' new zone defense.
Gibson and Paulino hit four 3-pointers in a 2-minute span of the second half that saw the Longhorns build the biggest lead of the game, 65-49.
Ross kept the Red Raiders from fading away, hitting six 3-pointers to pull Tech within 72-67 with just under 3 minutes left.
The game was a defensive battle before the fireworks started.
Texas, which has rarely used a zone, stayed in one the entire game in an effort to ease wear-and-tear on a depleted roster and avoid foul trouble.
Texas is down to just eight scholarship players after P.J. Tucker was declared academically ineligible last week and freshman LaMarcus Aldridge was sidelined indefinitely with a hip injury.
But neither was ever much of a 3-point threat when they were on the floor and were hardly missed once the Longhorns starting launching shots.
Texas' zone held the Red Raiders to 10-of-40 shooting in the first half.
Texas hit five 3-pointers in the first half but really was just getting started.
Gibson hit two early in the second, one from about 25 feet, and Buckman stepped out for another before Paulino finally found his range.
A 40 percent shooting team from long-range this season, seemingly couldn't miss once Gibson and Paulino cranked up their streak that built the big lead.
