Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 16 Utah
Men's Basketball Falls to No. 16 Utah in Puerto Rico Tipoff Opener, 73-63
November 19, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Toddrick Gotcher totaled 12 points, five assists and five rebounds during Thursday's game against No. 16 Utah.
Nov. 19, 2015
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Toddrick Gotcher turned in a solid all-around effort with 12 points, five assists and five rebounds as the Texas Tech men's basketball team battled No. 16 Utah to a 73-63 decision during Thursday's quarterfinal action at the Puerto Rico Tipoff.
Gotcher was 4-of-9 from the floor and reached double figures for the 23rd time in his career. He also handed out at least five assists for the fifth time during his career.
Devaugntah Williams dropped in eight of his team-leading 13 points and was 3-for-6 shooting in the second half. He has collected double figures in four of his last five outings dating back to last season.
Aaron Ross was the Red Raiders top performer off the bench and registered 10 points coupled with five rebounds over his 22 minutes of action. For Ross, it was his first 10-plus point performance since the West Virginia game on Jan. 31, 2015. Isaiah Manderson also tallied six points and three rebounds as Texas Tech outscored the Utes by a 16-7 margin in bench points.
Tech's starting offensive frontline of Norense Odiase and Zach Smith chipped in nine points apiece. Smith grabbed seven of his eight rebounds on the defensive end whereas Odiase snatched four of his six rebounds on the offensive glass and secured two blocks.
"It's good to be back here in Puerto Rico again," Texas Tech Tubby Smith said. "No one likes losing, but I'm very impressed with Larry Krystkowiak and their team. They're a very solid team. I'm proud of how our guys competed and how hard they played. They dominated the boards in the second half and that gave them key second opportunities and third opportunities. Another thing was our free throw shooting. We have to put more pressure on them by making shots, and we struggled to make our free throws."
Texas Tech (1-1) came away with a 25-for-64 shooting clip. The Red Raiders managed a 22-for-45 effort on their two-point attempts but misfired on 16 of their 19 attempts from three-point territory. Tech was 10-for-18 at the charity stripe but was only able to knock down 6-for-14 in the second half.
Conversely, Utah (3-0) sank 21-of-27 at the foul throw line which included an efficient 13-of-16 mark during the second 20 minutes. The Utes were 23-of-60 from the floor and dialed up a 6-of-24 ratio from beyond the three-point line. Another key for Utah was a 27-13 rebounding advantage which resulted in a 16-6 edge in second chance points during the second half.
Utah had four players compile double figures sparked by Lorenzo Bonam's 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Jordan Loveridge hit a quartet of triples en route to 18 points and five rebounds. Jakob Poeltl notched 15 points and nine rebounds, while Brandon Taylor picked up 11 points and four assists.
The Utes started quickly with four treys, three courtesy of Loveridge, inside the first six minutes to build an 18-8 lead at the 14:13 mark. Utah would lead by as many as 12 during the first half.
Trailing 32-23 with 4:21 remaining, Tech would put together a strong finishing kick to close the half ignited by a Manderson second-chance jump hook and a turnaround jumper off the glass in traffic. A pair of Gotcher free throws and a thunderous two-handed slam by Smith in the final 46 seconds brought the Red Raiders within 36-33 at the half.
Utah regained some breathing room behind the opening six points of the second half. However, Gotcher provided an answer for the Red Raiders with a trey on the right wing and a 13-foot transition jumper in the lane to make it 42-40 with 16:06 left.
The Utes fired back with 13 of the next 18 points over 5:52 span to regain a 55-45 advantage with 9:49 to go. Bonam kickstarted the Utah run with six consecutive points.
Texas Tech sliced down a 13-point deficit and rallied to pull within 66-60 at the 2:52 mark. Keenan Evans connected for a pair of jumpers sandwiched around a Williams triple.
On the next possession, the Utes took advantage of one of their 10 offensive rebounds in the second half which resulted in a Loveridge three-pointer. The Red Raiders followed with a missed jumper, and Utah tacked on two Poeltl free throws to go back ahead by double digits.
Texas Tech faces off against Mississippi State in Friday's consolation bracket at 4 p.m. CT from the Roberto Clemente Coliseum. The game will be televised by ESPNU along with the Watch ESPN app.
The Texas Tech Sports Network will carry the game live on its flagship stations 93.7 FM, 104.3 FM and 950 AM in Lubbock. Brian Hanni and Chris Level will serve as the broadcasting team. The radio broadcast also will be available online at www.TexasTech.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/TexasTechMBB and @TexasTechMBB on Twitter.
Fans can purchase ticket packages to Red Raider basketball starting as low as $49 online at www.TexasTech.com, in person at the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office located on the East Side of Jones AT&T Stadium or via the phone at (806) 742-8324.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
