Red Raider Recap: Iowa State 63, Tech 56

Friday, December 30

Ames, IA

5:00 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

11-2 (0-1B12)

Iowa State

9-3 (1-0B12)

Texas Tech

Iowa State

Red Raider Recap: Iowa State 63, Tech 56

December 30, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Game13TexasTech-IowaStateStats

The Cyclones use a 20-4 finishing kick over the last nine minutes to hand Texas Tech a seven-point loss.

AMES, Iowa – The Texas Tech men's basketball team carried a nine-point lead with nine minutes remaining, but Iowa State was able to rally for a 63-56 victory during the Big 12 opener for both teams Friday at Hilton Coliseum.

The Red Raiders (11-2, 0-1 Big 12) had their eight-game winning streak come to a close and have dropped eight of their last 10 Big 12 openers since 2007-08. Iowa State (9-3, 1-0 Big 12) protected its home floor and improved to 82-8 at Hilton Coliseum over the last six seasons.

Texas Tech held a 52-43 advantage following a Zach Smith two-handed dunk courtesy of Keenan Evans at the 9:09 mark of the second half.

The Cyclones found their rhythm behind Nazareth Mitrou-Long who pumped in nine of his game-leading 19 points down the stretch, and Iowa State held the Red Raiders without a point over a 7:31 span to highlight a 20-4 outburst to close the game.

"I thought it was a tale of two halves," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "I felt like we outplayed them in the first half, and we put ourselves in a position to try and steal a road win in this league. Give Iowa State credit, they really responded in the second half. Their halfcourt defense is good. I've said it publicly. I got to see Iowa State play in the NCAA Tournament last year. They have a much better defensive team from last year to this year, and I think that's the mark of a good coach."

Evans tallied 15 points, six rebounds and three assists over his season's best 36 minutes of action, while Anthony Livingston chipped in 13 points and six rebounds. For Livingston, he scored all 13 of his points during the opening 20 minutes.

Smith piled up seven points coupled with nine of his game-high 14 rebounds on the offensive end. For Smith, he has corralled 10-plus rebounds in three consecutive games.

Justin Gray added six points and eight rebounds whereas Devon Thomas secured a career-high seven assists to go along with five rebounds and two points.

Off the bench, Niem Stevenson provided seven points and hit three of his four shot attempts during his Big 12 debut. Aaron Ross was bottled up for six points before he fouled out in the final seconds.

Texas Tech was an efficient 15-of-31 in the first half but misfired on 19 of its 26 shots during the second half to finish 22-of-57 for the game. The Red Raiders were 6-of-21 on treys and limited to a season-low 6-of-8 clip at the free throw line. Tech won the battle of the boards for the fourth straight game and garnered a 42-27 rebounding edge.

Iowa State knocked down 21-for-53 from the field and also posted a 6-for-21 mark on three-pointers. The Cyclones converted on 15-for-18 from the foul line and scored 18 of their 30 points in the paint during the second half.

Mitrou-Long teamed with Monte Morris, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, to pour in 25 of their combined 33 points in the second half. Mitrou-Long notched 19 points and four rebounds, while Morris collected 14 points and six assists.

Texas Tech raced out to a 7-2 edge in the opening 2:10 off the clock. Gray started the scoring with a 17-foot jumper at the top of the key. Then, Evans drove in for a runner in traffic before he found Livingston for a three-ball on the left wing.

Ahead 17-12 with 12:08 to go, the Red Raiders reeled off 11 of the next 13 points to stretch their advantage to 28-14 at the 4:32 mark. Livingston opened the flurry with a turnaround jumper. Stevenson accounted for five points courtesy of a layup on the delayed fastbreak and a three-pointer off nice ball movement from the right baseline to make it a 14-point game.

The Cyclones crept back to within 35-25 at halftime behind seven free throws during the last 3:31 of the stanza.

Texas Tech would go back up by 14 at 48-34 with 13:27 to go as Evans used a screen to connect on a trey. However, the Red Raiders went cold from beyond the three-point arc and missed their final nine attempts.

Iowa State began its surge on a Mitrou-Long layup and a Morris triple on back-to-back possessions to slice a 52-43 deficit down to 52-48. The Cyclones gained the lead as Mitrou-Long would score nine of the next 11 points capped by a pair of free throws to bring the score to 59-52 with 1:52 remaining.

Texas Tech would get as close as 59-56 after two Ross free throws with 54.2 seconds left. The Red Raiders were forced to foul after Thomas was whistled for a touch foul with 31 seconds on the clock. Iowa State nailed 4-of-5 at the line to salt away the seven-point win.

"I have a lot of confidence and belief in our players," Beard said. "Tonight wasn't our night. I think the biggest thing was our turnovers. We're not a team that can win with 15 turnovers. I thought Iowa State in a lot of ways beat us at our game with low turnovers. They played a smart and intelligent game."

Texas Tech returns home to face its first ranked opponent of the 2016-17 season in No. 11 West Virginia on Tuesday. Tip time is on-tap for 8:15 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNEWS along with the Watch ESPN 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 along with @TexasTechMBB on Twitter and Instagram.