Texas Tech Athletics
West Virginia
Texas Tech Falls To West Virginia In Sweet 16
March 25, 2005 | Men's Basketball
March 24, 2005
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Kevin Pittsnogle and his unheralded teammates spoiled Bobby Knight's return to the round of 16, beating Texas Tech 65-60 Thursday night to move within one win of a surprising trip to the Final Four
Pittsnogle scored 22 points, including a pair of clutch free throws with 17.2 seconds left to send the seventh-seeded Mountaineers (24-10) to Saturday's regional final against Rick Pitino's fourth-seeded Louisville Cardinals (32-4).
The Mountaineers led 62-55 with 3:54 left after Pittsnogle hit a pair of free throws, then held on despite not scoring a field goal the rest of the game.
West Virginia, a former bubble team and No. 8 seed in the Big East tournament, added another dramatic win to its best run in the NCAA tournament since 1959, when West and the Mountaineers lost in the national title game.
Pittsnogle, a muscular, tattooed 6-foot-11 forward who shoots and handles like a guard, carried the Mountaineers down the stretch. His 3-pointer with 6:10 left put West Virginia ahead to stay at 56-53.
But the Red Raiders, battling for their first trip to the round of eight, didn't go down easily. A three-point play by Jarrius Jackson and a layup by Devonne Giles - his first points since the opening minutes, cut West Virginia's lead to 62-60 with 1:17 left.
With the Mountaineers on their heels, Pittsnogle bailed them out. Jackson stole the ball near midcourt and raced in for a layup, but Pittsnogle blocked it with 57 seconds remaining. In the battle for the loose ball, the Red Raiders got three offensive rebounds and four shots, but all missed.
The ball started to roll out of bounds near the Texas Tech bench and the Mountaineers managed to save it and call a timeout with 30.5 seconds left.
West Virginia got the ball in Pittsnogle's hands and he was fouled. He swished both free throws and teammate D'or Fischer added a free throw in the final seconds to seal it.
PETE HERRERA
AP Sports Writer
