LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Pop Isaacs scored 19 points and put 23rd-ranked Texas Tech ahead to stay with a three-point play with 39 seconds remaining as the Red Raiders rallied from a double-digit deficit and beat TCU 82-81 on Tuesday night.
Texas Tech (19-7, 8-5 Big 12) trailed 69-59 with 6:55 left. Isaacs scored nine of his points after that, including two more free throws with 12 seconds left.
Darrion Williams, Joe Toussaint and Kerwin Walton each had 14 points for the Red Raiders, who matched ninth-ranked Kansas and No. 11 Baylor for third place in the Big 12 standings — the top four teams get a double-bye into the quarterfinal round of the 14-team conference tournament next month.
Emanuel Miller and Avery Anderson III each had 15 points to lead six players scoring in double figures for TCU (18-8, 7-6). Jameer Nelson had 14 points, while Micah Peavy, Jakobe Coles and Essam Mostafa each had 10.
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Isaacs’ three-point play broke the game’s 11th and final tie. He had also snapped the 10th tie with two free throws with 1:27 left.
TCU had its 69-59 lead after Anderson’s lop pass to former Red Raider player Peavy. The Horned Frogs then missed eight consecutive shots over nearly four minutes before a layup by Peavy.
Soon after that, Williams took a bounce pass from Toussaint and had a slam dunk with 2:25 left to tie the game at 73 — the first time the score was even after halftime.
Nelson came up short on a 3-pointer with a second left that would have tied the game, and Coles then had a putback basket. Nelson scored 11 points with three 3s after halftime, three days after his step-back 3 with 1.1 seconds left to give the Horned Frogs a win at Kansas State.
The game was tied eight times in the first half, including 38-all at the break.
TCU had a 36-28 lead after Anderson’s three-point play with 2:44 left, which was 41 seconds after he hit a 3-pointer. Anderson had 13 points in the half, but the Red Raiders closed with a 10-2 run and got even on two free throws by Isaacs after a flagrant foul against TCU in the final minute.
BIG PICTURE
TCU: A tough loss for the Horned Frogs, who had won three of their previous four Big 12 road games. TCU lost despite out-rebounding the Red Raiders 49-36 and finishing with a 38-19 advantage in bench points. … Mostafa had his 10 points by halftime on 5-of-5 shooting. He had made only four total field goals his previous 13 games, with none in the previous nine.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are 14-1 at home, where eight days earlier they posted a 79-50 win over Kansas. … Tech played its second game in a row without 7-foot Warren Washington, whose right foot was in a walking boot. He got hurt in the win over Kansas eight days earlier.
UP NEXT
TCU has two home games in three days, Saturday vs. Cincinnati (16-9, 5-7) and Monday night against No. 11 Baylor.
Texas Tech plays Saturday at UCF (13-12, 4-9), which has a four-game losing streak that began with a 66-59 loss in Lubbock on Feb. 10.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
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