TUCSON, Ariz. – JT Toppin scored eight of his 31 points in a dominant overtime performance and No. 16 Texas Tech sent No. 1 Arizona to its second straight loss, shocking the Wildcats 78-75 on Saturday.
Texas Tech (19-6, 9-3 Big 12) beat the No. 1 team for the third time in school history. The Wildcats (23-2, 10-2) were 23-0 before losing to No. 9 Kansas 82-78 on Monday.
Arizona had a 64-57 lead with 3:29 left in regulation, but Texas Tech responded with 9-0 run, capped by Donovan Atwell’s corner 3-pointer with 25 seconds left for a 66-64 lead. Arizona’s Ivan Kharchenkov tied it at 66 with two free throws and Christian Anderson couldn’t hit a contested jumper as time expired.
After the short break, Toppin went to work, scoring four baskets on an array of tip-ins and low-post moves. The preseason All-America selection shot 13 of 22 from the field and had 13 rebounds to finish with his 47th career double-double. Anderson added 19 points, hitting six 3-pointers.
Arizona’s Tobe Awaka had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Brayden Burries also scored 16 points.
The Wildcats were without star freshman Koa Peat in the second half because of a lower-body injury. Peat had two points and a rebound in the first half.
Arizona was already missing backup guard Dwayne Aristode, who was out with an illness, meaning coach Tommy Lloyd was down to essentially a six-man rotation.
Arizona led for the majority of the first half, but Texas Tech pushed ahead 30-29 on Toppin’s short jumper with 2:04 left before the break. It was tied at 32 at the half.
Up next
Texas Tech: At Arizona State on Tuesday night.
Arizona: Hosts BYU on Wednesday night.
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Great Job David Brandt, Associated Press & the Team @ KSAT San Antonio for sharing this story.
