Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 5 Texas
Texas Tech Suffers Tough Loss to No. 5 Texas
January 17, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2006
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- LaMarcus Aldridge scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead No. 5 Texas to a 80-46 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night.
Brad Buckman recovered from his latest leg injury to add 16 points and nine boards for Texas (15-2, 3-0 Big 12), which has won seven straight.
Texas has played stellar defense throughout its winning streak and used another superb effort to stifle the Red Raiders from the opening tip. Texas forced 19 turnovers and held Tech to 37 percent shooting.
Jarrius Jackson led the Red Raiders (10-8, 2-2) with 21 points. Tech coach Bob Knight is 2-8 against Texas in his five seasons with the Raiders.
The Longhorns built a big early lead by taking -- and making -- just about any shot they wanted.
Buckman, who has missed four games this season because of various hip, calf and ankle injures and had to leave in the first half of last Saturday's 58-55 win over Villanova, had 14 points and five rebounds in the first half against Tech. One of Texas' strongest post players, Buckman also stepped out to hit two 3-pointers.
With Buckman stretching the defense, P. J. Tucker had room to roam for any shot he could find against a Tech defense that struggled to find a defender who could match up with the burly forward. Tucker hit all six of his shots in the first half for 12 of his 16 points.
The Longhorns shot 55 percent in the first half. In one five-minute stretch, Buckman and Tucker combined for 13 points in a 15-6 Texas run that opened up a 26-13 lead.
Texas stretched the lead to 41-25 by halftime as Aldridge converted a 3-point play and followed it by soaring over the Tech defense to slam a rebound of a missed shot.
The Longhorns offense finally slowed at bit in the second. Tucker missed his first shot and the Longhorns scored just two points over the first five minutes. Not that it mattered much. Tech had five turnovers in that span.
That's when Texas started getting the ball to Aldridge, who toyed with the Red Raiders defense with his turnaround jumper and scored the Longhorns' first seven points of the half.
Kenton Paulino's 3-pointer made it 51-31 with 14 minutes to play. Tucker jammed a fast break and Daniel Gibson kept pouring it on with three consecutive 3-pointers that pushed the Texas lead to 30.
