No. 23 Texas Tech basketball goes cold in road loss to UCF
In a 75-61 loss against UCF in Orlando, the 23rd-ranked Texas Tech basketball team was unable to overcome a dismal shooting night despite the addition of Warren Washington to the starting lineup.
Due to a strained hip, Chance McMillian was unable to play in the game. As a result, the Red Raiders, who dropped to 19-8 overall and 8-6 in Big 12 play, lost another scoring opportunity.
Texas Tech had limited opponents to 25% 3-point shooting in their previous five games going into Saturday’s matchup. With a 6-of-12 shooting performance in the victory, the Knights—the worst shooting team in the conference—had little trouble in that area.
Darrion Williams and Kerwin Walton did their best to carry the Red Raiders to victory, though it wasn’t enough. Williams had his fourth double-double in the last five games, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Walton added 18 points, going 4-of-9 from 3.
Including Saturday’s game, the Red Raiders have had their full complement of players — sans Devan Cambridge — just twice in the last nine games. Tech is 2-0 with everybody available and fell to 1-4 when at least one player is out before the game.
After missing the previous two games, Washington made a comeback, although it seemed like he tweaked his ailing foot early in the first half. In addition, he was flagged for two early fouls and played just 13 minutes of the second half off the bench. After ten minutes of play, Robert Jennings fouled out.
Enormous in Orlando, the Red Raiders shot 28% from three-point range and 37% from the field.
Texas Tech will return home on Tuesday for a matchup with the Texas Longhorns. That game will begin at 8 p.m. and air on ESPN.