Texas Tech Athletics
9-10,2-6Big 12
Baylor
14-4,4-2Big 12
Second Half Surge Not Enough as Lady Raiders Fall in Last Minute Thriller
January 26, 2022 | Women's Basketball
Tech erased a 16-point first half deficit to draw even with 3:21 to play, but Baylor closed on an 9-1 run
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Â Trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half, the Texas Tech Lady Raiders used a furious second half comeback to draw even with No. 11 Baylor with just over three minutes to play, before ultimately falling 88-80 in front of an electric crowd Wednesday night at United Supermarkets Arena.
In defeat, guard Bryn Gerlich poured in a career-high 22 points with seven assists, while senior All-American Vivian Gray continued her strong play as of late, pouring in 21 points. Gray hit both of her attempts from three, breaking an 0-for-13 stretch that dated back to the UNLV game on Dec. 12.
Texas Tech (9-10, 2-6 Big 12) trailed 29-14 after one and 51-35 with :54 seconds to play in the second quarter, but a 3-pointer from Rhyle McKinney sparked an 15-0 run that spanned both halves.
One of the strongest stretches this season, the outburst trimmed the Baylor (14-4, 4-2 Big 12) lead to just 51-50 with 7:18 to play in the third.
Over the remaining stretch of the quarter, Tech was never able to pull in front, but the Baylor lead also never climbed above four. That remained true until the closing seconds of the third when a Sarah Andrews triple gave the visitors a 71-66 lead after three.
In the fourth, Baylor took its largest lead (73-66) since the opening seconds of the third on a NaLyssa Smith layup with 9:25 to play, but the Lady Raiders fought back, scoring 13 of the next 19 to tie the game at 79 all with 2:36 to play.
After a timeout, the Lady Raiders forced a missed jumper from Smith, but Caitlin Bickle was able to secure an offensive rebound. The forward hit a wide-open Andrews who nailed a triple that gave the Bears an 82-79 lead with 2:18 to play.
The triple sparked the decisive 9-1 run that swung the game in the direction of the visitors.
Smith finished with a game-high 23 points for the 11th-ranked Bears, while Andrews added 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Baylor landed the first punch in Wednesday's battle, scoring the first seven to take a 7-0 lead with 8:00 left in the opening quarter.
Behind a pair of buckets from Gerlich, the Lady Raiders pulled to within 9-5 just under 90 seconds later.
After Baylor extended its lead back up to 17-9 with 3:21 to play in the opening period, Tech used a triple from freshman Chantae Embry to pull to within 17-12 with 3:00 minutes to go.
Needing an answer, Baylor used a triple from Ja'Mee Asberry to finish the quarter on a 12-2 run. The outburst gave the visitors a 29-14 lead after one.
Tech opened the second quarter on a 9-3 run to close to within 33-25 with 6:18 left, but Baylor immediately answered with a 7-0 run to extend the lead back to 15 points (40-25) with 4:31 to play in the second.
The Baylor lead reached a game-high 16 twice down the stretch, before a pair of McKinney triples brought the Lady Raiders to within 51-38 at the break.
Tech opened the second half on fire, using a pair of triples from Gray and senior Lexy Hightower to continue the aforementioned 15-0 run. The Hightower triple prompted a timeout from Baylor and brought Tech to with 51-44 just 60 seconds into the third.
Out of the timeout, the Lady Raiders backed up a defensive stop with an and-one from Gerlich to cut the Bears advantage down to just 51-47, before Hightower used one last 3-pointer to bring her team to within 51-50 with 7:18 to play.
With all the momentum, Tech forced a missed from Baylor on the next possession, but Jordan Lewis grabbed her only offensive rebound of the game, hit a layup and was fouled. The and-one gave Baylor a 54-50 lead.
The two teams proceeded to trade baskets, until the Lady Raiders used five quick points by Taylah Thomas to get back to within 60-59 with 4:01 to play in the third.
Down just one, the Lady Raiders forced another stop, but Thomas was whistled for a loose ball foul on the rebound attempt.
The foul gave Baylor a second opportunity to score, but more importantly it was Thomas' fourth foul of the game, relegating the Arkansas transfer to the bench for the remainder of the period and into the fourth.
Baylor took advantage of the second chance, using a jumper from Bickle to extend their lead to 62-59 with 3:31 to play.
The teams continued to trade punches down the stretch of the third period, as Tech used a Gray jumper to cut the Baylor lead to just 66-64 with 68 ticks on the clock.
In a common theme throughout the game, Baylor was able to get a second crack on their next possession when Smith grabbed an offensive rebound and nailed a layup.
Gerlich hit a jumper to bring Tech to within 68-66 with 33 seconds to play, but Baylor used the Andrews triple to take a 71-66 lead into the fourth.
Baylor struck first in the fourth, using yet another second-chance layup from Smith to take a 73-66 advantage with 9:25 to play.
Hightower answered with a triple to bring the Lady Raider back to within 73-69, but Baylor scored the next four to take a 76-69 lead with 7:57 to play.
A Gerlich triple sparked a 10-3 Lady Raider run that was capped by a Thomas and-one with 2:36 to play. The bucket and free-throw tied the game at 79 all.
After a timeout, the Lady Raiders forced a missed jumper from Smith, but Bickle was able to secure an offensive rebound. The forward hit a wide-open Andrews who nailed a triple that gave the Bears an 82-79 lead with 2:18 to play.
The triple gave the Bears momentum, as Baylor closed the contest with multiple key defensive stops. The defensive effort allowed the visitors to close the contest on a 9-1 run.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Baylor outrebounded the Lady Raiders 29-22, with 12 of the Bears' rebounds coming on the offensive end.
• The visitors scored 20 points on those 12 extra possessions, outscoring the Lady Raiders 20-12 on second-chance points.
• Gerlich has now scored 38 points in Tech's last two home games. The guard scored seven of her career-high 22 in the opening quarter.
• Tech never led Wednesday, and the game was tied just once (79 all).
• The Lady Raiders did shoot a blistering 11-of-15 (73.3 percent) from the behind the 3-point arc, 52.8 percent from the field for the game (28-53).
• Baylor also shot an efficient 32-of-57 from the field (56.1).
• Tech outscored Baylor 23-20 on points off turnovers, and turned the basketball over just 13 times Wednesday.
• Hightower scored her 1800th point of her career.
• Embry returned to the lineup for the first time since Kanas State (Jan. 15). She did not travel with the team to TCU or Kansas last week.
• McKinney hit a triple for the fourth consecutive game.
• Wednesday's attendance was 4,504. The Lady Raiders have now drawn at least 4,500 fans in all four Big 12 home games.
• Tech falls to 2-3 this season against ranked opponents. After dropping a pair of games to Georgia and LSU, the Lady Raiders had won back-to-back games against ranked foes (Texas, K-State).
COACH SPEAK (HC Krista Gerlich):
"I'm extremely proud of our kids' fight. We're not satisfied with the outcome by any means, but we definitely fought and had a chance to win that game. That's all I can ask for. I thought in the first quarter we came out tentative, and we were trying to figure out how we could defend Baylor. It was really on the defensive end that we really struggled. And then in the second and third we decided we could guard them and score. We're still battling to build our culture, attitude and winning mindset. The feeling that we belong. In the first quarter we were on the fence about whether or not we did belong, but the last three quarters we showed where were taking this basketball team in the future. There's a lot of basketball to be played and there are a lot of good teams in the Big 12. But we're battling right there with them."
On Baylor's second-chance points:
"We had a couple of missed box-outs. I specifically remember a couple of missed box-outs that led to Baylor getting a good look at a three. It's hard to keep NaLyssa Smith off the boards. If we can keep them from scoring on the first shot, we've got to get the rebound because Baylor is not going to miss many second chance looks. If Smith gets a second look, she's going to knock it down. We just couldn't get the timely stop or the timely basket when we got to within striking range."
UP NEXT:
The Lady Raiders continue their two-game home stand on Saturday afternoon when the Iowa State Cyclones visit United Supermarkets Arena. Tip-off for the opening game of the doubleheader is set for 12:30 p.m.
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