CU's 24-point comeback falls short against No. 14 Texas Tech

Barrington Hargress led his team in field goals made against Texas Tech with six for 13 points. (Photo by Jacob Hock/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes (12-4, 2-1 Big 12) fell at home to the No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-4, 2-1 Big 12) 73-71 on Saturday. The Red Raiders survived a 24-point Buffs comeback that went down to the final buzzer.

Colorado won the opening tip-off and got out of the gates hot. Forward Sebastian Rancik drained a catch-and-shoot three-pointer on the Buffs' opening possession to open the scoring.

Colorado guard Barrington Hargress got in on the scoring as well, nailing three tough shots on consecutive possessions to extend Colorado’s lead to 10-2.

“I thought we came out ready to play,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said postgame. “I thought our guys executed, we got good shots, we made our shots, I think we made five of our first seven shots, I think we were playing with energy on defense, we had bounce in our steps.”

However, Texas Tech responded by utilizing its deep scoring range. Clutch three-point shooting by guards Christian Anderson, Tyeree Bryan and Donovan Atwell gave the Red Raiders their first lead of the night with just over 10 minutes before halftime, 19-18.

The threes kept raining down for Texas Tech, as it finished the first half 8-for-17.

The Red Raiders’ rebounding also helped them to extend their lead. They out-rebounded Colorado 22-17 in the first half, with star forward JT Toppin leading the way with 10.

“We’re just not tough enough on the glass,” Boyle said. “I challenge them, and we work on it. We’re going to continue to work on it, and I’m going to continue to challenge them. It’s frustrating.” 

Texas Tech led 43-27 at halftime after a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Anderson.

Out of halftime, Texas Tech extended its lead to 24 points, the largest of the night.

In the first 10 minutes of the second half, Texas Tech had answers for any Colorado pushback. With just over 15 minutes to play, Rancik hit a three-pointer that cut Texas Tech’s lead to 19, but before Colorado could generate any momentum, Bryan threw down a vicious dunk in transition.

The Buffs were losing the turnover battle 7-3 and being out-rebounded 32-24 with 12 minutes remaining in the game. 

But at the 12-minute media timeout, a switch flipped for the Buffaloes. They looked like a completely different team, and quickly erased their deficit.

Colorado went on a 12-1 run, in which it prevented the Red Raiders from scoring a basket for 3:19. Texas Tech shot 1-for-9 from the field during that stretch, and was forced to call a timeout with 7:38 remaining in the game. 

A large part of Texas Tech’s scoring struggles was the role the crowd played at the CU Events Center. Colorado’s run had the near-sold-out crowd erupting and creating a challenging environment to play in.

“It means a lot seeing all the fans, and all of the students that we go to school with,” Colorado guard Isaiah Johnson said postgame. “They really showed out today. I’m just hoping to keep that going, because it definitely helped our energy getting back into the game.”

However, the stoppage hardly solved Texas Tech’s problems. The Red Raiders immediately turned the ball over on the inbound following the timeout, and Colorado’s offense continued on its hot streak.

Johnson was held scoreless in the first half, but he caught fire amid his team’s run. He scored 21 points in the second half, going 13-for-13 from the free throw line in the process. 

A pair of scores from Johnson and Hargress cut Texas Tech’s lead to 69-62. While the Red Raiders responded well with a jumper from guard Jaylen Petty and an emphatic dunk from Toppin, they continued putting Johnson at the line on costly fouls. 

Johnson’s free throw shooting, followed by a turnover from Texas Tech, gave Colorado possession in a two-point game. As the shot clock ticked down, Johnson and Hargress searched desperately for a clean look, but were unable to find one. Hargress took a contested three-point shot that clanked off the right side of the rim as the final buzzer sounded on the Buffs’ first conference loss.

Colorado’s next game will be on the road against the Cincinnati Bearcats (8-7, 0-2 Big 12) on Wednesday. The game will take place at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, at 5 p.m. MT (Peacock, NBC Sports)