From a school-record win streak to a rare skid. Life comes at you fast in the Big 12.
Top-ranked Arizona lost its second consecutive game after opening the season 23-0, falling 78-75 in overtime to No. 16 Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon in the recently renamed McKale Center at ALKEME Arena.
The Red Raiders (19-6, 9-3 Big 12) got a monster performance from JT Toppin, who had 31 points and 13 rebounds, including one of two offensive boards for Tech in the final minute with a 2-point lead. Arizona (23-2,
10-2) had a chance to tie it at the buzzer in OT, but Jaden Bradley’s 3-pointer was offline.
Ivan Kharchenkov made two free throws with 16.4 seconds left in regulation to tie it, then Arizona forced an awkward mid-range jumper from Anderson at the buzzer to send it to OT.
Toppin was 13 of 22 while Christian Anderson had 19 points and eight assists, scoring or assisting on more than half of Tech’s field goals. Tech shot 40.9 percent for the game and was 11 of 33 from 3 but was 5 of 8 from the the field in OT.
Arizona played without Dwayne Aristode, out with an illness, and Koa Peat missed the second half with a lower body injury after scoring two points in 11 minutes in the first half.
Brayden Burries led the UA with 16 points but he was only 4 of 12 from the field, while Tobe Awaka had 16 with 12 rebounds. Motiejus Krivas had 10 points and 11 rebounds as Arizona finished +2 on the boards but managed a season-low 26 points in the paint.
Bradley was 4 of 14 for the game as Arizona shot 39.3 percent and was 4 of 16 from 3. The Wildcats missed 10 of their 13 shots.
Tied at 32 at the half, Tech hit its first two 3s and took a 4-point lead with a chance to go up more, but Toppin missed a layup.Kharchenkov dunked on the other end, getting away with pulling up on the rim, and after missing the free throwKrivas got the loose ball and hooked one in to tie it at 39.
Right before that Anderson, who averages 38.5 minutes per game, picked up his third foul. He was initially whistled for his fourth with 15:39 to go but it was changed after the media timeout.
Arizona’s thinned rotation prompted Tommy Lloyd to insert freshman Sidi Gueye with 12:21 left and he briefly gave the Wildcats a 46-44 lead on a layup.
Four in a row by Burries put the UA up 52-49 before Toppin scored on a putback with 7:44 to go for the Red Raiders’ first second-chance points of the game. A 3 by Burries and a layup of by Kharchenkov off an out-of-bounds play gave Arizona a 59-53 lead with 6:18 remaining, its largest lead since late in the first half.
The Wildcats maintained a 2-score lead for most of the next four minutes until Toppin scored four in a row to get the Red Raiders within 64-61 with 2:26 left. It remained that score until Donovan Atwell made two free throws with 57.6 seconds left to make it a 1-point game.
Atwell then gave Tech a 66-64 lead with 25.4 seconds left on a corner 3 following another empty UA possession, withBradleyand Krivas both missing shots. That capped a 9-0 run, with the Wildcats going the final 3:25 of regulation without a field goal.
Toppin had two putbacks early in OT, surpassing Tech’s second-chance point total from regulation and putting his team up 72-69. Atwell then hit a 3 to make it a 4-point lead with 2:03 to go.
Another Toppin putback put Tech up 77-73 with 1:18 left, then after Awaka scored on the other end to get Arizona within two the Red Raiders ate up nearly a minute on its final possession by getting a second and third chance.
Texas Tech started 0 for 7 for the field, including five misses from outside, and it was 6 of 22 at one point before making 6 of 8 to end the first half.
A 3-pointer byAwaka put the UA up 21-15, and it extended the lead to eight on a pair ofBurries free throws, before Tech battled back with the help of some Wildcat miscues. Three missed free throws and a turnover enabled the Red Raiders to go up 30-29 with 2:04 left before halftime.
Kharchenkov had a halfcourt shot hit the rim and backboard at the halftime buzzer that would have given the Wildcats the lead.
Arizona’s run of ranked opponents continues on Wednesday when No. 22 BYU comes to town. The Wildcats will be wearing special ‘Galaxy Slam’ uniforms to promote the school’s space connections.
