KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — JT Toppin had 26 points and 10 rebounds to lift No. 9 Texas Tech to a 76-74 victory over Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night.
The second-seeded Red Raiders never trailed but almost gave up the lead in the final minute after missing their final 10 field-goal attempts. VJ Edgecombe’s attempt at a tying jumper at the buzzer missed off the glass.
Darrion Williams scored 14 points and Elijah Hawkins and Kerwin Walton had 12 each for Texas Tech (25-7), which will face either Kansas or Arizona in Friday’s semifinals.
Norchad Omier had 29 points and 15 rebounds for seventh-seeded Baylor (19-14).
Takeaways
Baylor: The Bears need more offense from players other than Omier. Edgecombe, with 11 points, was the only other Baylor player in double figures.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders shot 19.4% from the field in the second half, including 3 of 15 from 3-point range.
Key moment
Omier picked up two fouls in 11 seconds, the second with 9:46 left, giving him four for the game. He went to the bench with the Bears trailing 68-58. The Bears managed to cut into the lead, but their momentum was stalled when Jeremy Roach picked up his fourth foul with 5:29 left.
Key stat
Texas Tech hit 12 3-pointers in the first half, including 11 of 15 in the first 12:35, and finished 15 of 34 (44.1%). The Red Raiders averaged 10.1 3-pointers per game at a 37.8% clip this season.
Up next
The Bears have been projected to earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
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David Smale, The Associated Press
