OU Men Fall Behind Late in Loss to Texas Tech

Originally Published: Jan 23, 2010 9:41 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech’s Mike Singletary hit a long 3-pointer with less than 90 seconds remaining to put a dagger in the heart of the Oklahoma men and send the Sooners to a 75-65 loss.

Singletary’s shot came with OU down by three points and within striking distance. Tommy Mason-Griffin tried to add to a career night by hitting a response 3-pointer but it was blocked. The Red Raiders made use of desperation shots by the Sooners on two more possessions to make their lead insurmountable.

OU’s leading scorer, Willie Warren, did not play because of an ankle injury, but Tony Crocker and Mason-Griffin picked up the offensive slack. Mason-Griffin finished with a career-high 26 points, and Crocker scored 20. No other Sooner had more than 10 points.

Crocker scored eight of OU’s first 12 points and helped the Sooners build an early lead, which they extended to a 31-23 advantage at halftime.

Oklahoma committed only five turnovers in the first half, but then gave the ball away four times in the first four minutes of the second half. The Red Raiders used those mistakes to go on a 12-0 run and erase OU’s 11-point lead. From that point forward, the teams remained close until Tech extended its lead in the final minute.

Texas Tech made 25 percent of its shots in the first half, but that shooting improved drastically in the second half. The Red Raiders made 52 percent of their shots in the second half, and finished the game shooting 54 percent from 3-point range.

No Sooners outside of Mason-Griffin or Crocker could get anything going on the offensive end. Cade Davis shot 1-of-7, while Tiny Gallon and Ryan Wright both fouled out. The Sooners’ foul trouble led to them having five guards on the court when the final buzzer sounded.

Singletary led Texas Tech with 24 points, including six in a 30-second span at the end of the game. David Tairu scored 18 points in 21 minutes off the bench, and Nick Okorie added another 10 points of the bench. Singletary and Tairu combined to go 6-of-7 from beyond the arc.

The Sooners have now lost two in a row, but will look to rebound at 8 p.m. Wednesday against Iowa State.