Kerwin Roach scores 20 points in his return to the lineup as Texas tops No. 8 Texas Tech.
AUSTIN — Texas Tech center Norense Odiase had a notion early in Wednesday night’s game against Texas. The 6-9 redshirt junior decided to go directly at 6-11 freshman Mo Bamba and make a statement.
Odiase could set the tone and, as an added bonus, perhaps lure the nation’s second-leading shotblocker into picking up a couple of fouls. The plan backfired spectacularly.
Bamba stuffed Odiase’s first attempt, then erased the second, sending Tech’s big man sprawling to the hardwood. Oh, a statement had been made: Texas wasn’t going to let the eighthranked Red Raiders have anything easy in the Erwin Center.
The Longhorns (12-6, 3-3 Big 12) rarely did throughout the course of a hugely important 67-58 win over Texas Tech (15-3, 4-2), which was just a few days removed from a victory over No. 2 West Virginia.
The unexpected return of Kerwin Roach II, who missed the past two games with a fractured left hand, served as a catalyst on both ends of the floor. Though he came off the bench, Roach scored a game- and season-high 20 points and knocked down 8 of 9 attempts from the free-throw line. Defense shuts down Evans
Roach, long valued as the team’s top perimeter defender, also helped limit Tech leading scorer Keenan Evans to 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting.
He punctuated the bounceback victory with a dramatic, soaring one-handed slam as the lane parted with about two minutes to go.
UT coach Shaka Smart didn’t even find out Roach was cleared until just minutes before the tip.
“It was big for us,” Bamba said of Roach’s return. “As you can see, Snoop really leads and takes charge in our perimeter defense. Having him back in the lineup made all the difference. Snoop did his job on Keenan.”
Texas Tech, which typically played four and sometimes five perimeter players, struggled against UT’s bigger lineup, headed by Bamba and Dylan Osetkowski. The former in particular thrived either passing out of low-post double teams or making a quick move towards the rim.
Bamba finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Osetkowski added 12 points and five boards.
But for a brief moment in the second half, it looked like UT was about to relive the same old horror story. After a series of sloppy turnovers and mental lapses, a 13-point lead was just four with 6:56 remaining.
It felt like a nightmarish repeat of earlier losses to Duke, Baylor and, most recently, Oklahoma State.
“There’s no question that we’ve been a little inconsistent with that,” Smart said of closing games. “But I think our guys, after spending some time watching the tape from the last game and talking about what we needed to do better, our guys had a sense of urgency to be better.” Daggers from Davis
This time, UT avoided those familiar pitfalls and outscored Texas Tech 18-13 down the stretch. That closing run included a pair of 3-point daggers from Eric Davis.
“I thought tonight it played into us playing better down the stretch,” Smart said, “because in the huddles, our guys were saying, ‘We know what to do: play with poise and stay together.’ They definitely had last Saturday’s game on their mind, but I think in a good way.
“Teams are going to make runs. In this league, they’re going to make shots, they’re going to make plays. They’re not just going to go away. So you’ve got to be tough-minded and respond. I thought our guys did that.”