No. 15 Texas Tech dug out of a dozen-point deficit on Wednesday, slowly and steadily chipping away all second half but never quite surmounting it. Then Red Raiders star Mac McClung sealed the comeback — and the win — with a go-ahead jumper in the final seconds to lift Tech past No. 6 Texas, 79-77.
McClung’s dagger came on an isolation play at the top of the key as he pulled up off the bounce to bury a jumper just inside the 3-point arc with three seconds remaining. Longhorns guard Matt Coleman’s would-be game-winning 3-pointer on the other end of a timeout was too strong and clanked off the backboard.
Texas appeared to have things under control throughout the game, while Texas Tech played most of the game in catch-up mode. The Red Raiders held the lead for a total of 36 seconds. Texas led for 37 minutes of game time and all but the final 3 seconds of the second half.
McClung’s late-game heroics were a fitting end to the night for the Texas Tech star, whose energy, shot-making and activity on the glass kept them in it. He finished the game with a game-high 22 points.
For Texas, it wasn’t so much a blown game, but it has to feel brutal about giving this one up. It led by double digits on its home court with 12:20 left in the game and let it slip away, succumbing to a relentless Tech team that never quit. Adding insult to injury, it could be a costly loss, too, as it’s Texas’ first Big 12 loss of the season, leaving Baylor as the lone undefeated team in the conference.
It wasn’t so much an historic comeback for Texas Tech, nor was it especially surprising; under Chris Beard the program has appeared in a Final Four and two Elite Eights since 2018, picking off countless ranked foes in between. But it was an historic win for the program, as it gave Texas Tech its first-ever road win over a top-five team.
That was enough cause for celebration postgame, if the late go-ahead jumper wasn’t.
Don’t expect them to celebrate it too long, though. No. 2 Baylor (11-0) comes to Lubbock, Texas on Saturday, in a game that has heightened Big 12 ramifications on the line.
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