MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Bryson Williams scored 15 points, Terrence Shannon sparked a second-half comeback and No. 14 Texas Tech beat West Virginia 60-53 on Saturday.
Texas Tech (18-5, 7-3 Big 12) won for the second time in six road games. But the Red Raiders have won three straight and five of their last six, with the lone loss at Kansas in double overtime. Davion Warren added 11 points and Kevin McCullar scored 10 for the Red Raiders.
Jalen Bridges scored 16 points and Sean McNeil added 15 for West Virginia (13-9, 2-7), which has lost seven straight, tied for the worst under coach Bob Huggins.
West Virginia’s Taz Sherman, the Big 12’s second-leading scorer who is averaging 18.9 points per game, missed the game with a concussion after getting hit in the jaw late in a loss at Baylor on Monday.
Bridges made up for Sherman’s absence early with a double-digit performance for just the second time in the past six games, but went scoreless after halftime.
West Virginia couldn’t hold onto a six-point halftime lead, making just four field goals in the second half.
Shannon had to be helped off the court early in the game after an awkward fall following a dunk, but upon the return of the Red Raiders’ second-leading scorer, they took control. Shannon gave Texas Tech its first lead of the second half with a layup and free throw, and later made a jumper and a layup to extend the lead to 48-41 with 8:01 remaining.
Gabe Osabuohien made five free throws over the span of a minute to pull West Virginia within 53-50 with 3:40 left. Despite their shooting woes, the Mountaineers still had a chance to tie it late but couldn’t convert.
Williams made a pair of free throws with 1:46 left and Daniel Batcho dunked on a fast break with 1:27 remaining to help seal the win.
Big picture
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders trailed at halftime for only the fourth time this season. It was the second time they came back from a halftime deficit to win.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers have plenty of work to do in order to be considered for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. But the challenge gets tougher with every game Sherman isn’t in the lineup. He missed a January loss at Texas due to covid-19 protocols and needed several games to get back to full strength.
Up next
Texas Tech: At Oklahoma on Wednesday.
West Virginia: Hosts No. 20 Iowa State on Tuesday, the Mountaineers’ third straight ranked opponent.
