Field Level Media
Nov 20, 2018
Texas Tech rode red-hot shooting down the stretch to defeat USC at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, beating the Trojans 78-63 on Monday.
The Red Raiders shot 82.4% from the floor (14-for-17) after halftime, including 5-for-6 accuracy from 3-point range. With the victory, the Raiders advanced to face Nebraska in the title game Tuesday.
Senior guard Matt Mooney connected on all five of his field goal attempts in the second half on the way to scoring 15 of his 17 points. Davide Moretti and Jarrett Culver finished with 17 and 18 points, respectively.
Tariq Owens also scored 18 while contributing a tomahawk slam dunk off a feed from Culver with 6:19 remaining that propelled Tech on its way.
Owens' thunderous dunk was part of a game-turning 12-1 Raiders' run that turned a 52-52 tie into a 64-53 Texas Tech lead with 4:28 remaining.
Kevin Porter (15 points), Bennie Boatwright (14) and Jonah Matthews (12) finished in double figures for USC.
The Trojans used a 10-0 run to open a 30-17 lead with 3:31 to go in the first half. USC led 32-23 at halftime after getting 15 points off the bench and grabbing a 21-17 advantage on the boards.
The Trojans quickly climbed out of that hole with a 14-4 burst to start the second half. Tech seized command by getting more aggressive against the Trojans' defense, with Mooney and Moretti consistently beating defenders on dribble-drives.
Because of the adjustment, the Raiders produced 36 points in the paint.
As hot as the Raiders got in the second half, USC went the opposite direction. The Trojans buried 6-of-12 3s in the initial 20 minutes but were just 3-for-10 after that and 11-for-27 overall from the field in the second half.
--Field Level Media