Box score
(Photos provided by Zach Long, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
LUBBOCK, Texas – Jaye Crockett scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Texas Tech held on for a 75-69 win over Northern Kentucky on Tuesday night in United Spirit Arena.
Eshaunte Jones scored 16 points to lead Northern Kentucky (0-6), while freshman guard
Tyler White came off the bench and added a career-high 14 points. Freshman
Jack Flournoy finished with a career-high 13 points for the Norse, who rallied from a 20-point deficit in the second half to make it close at the end.
"We just got a little casual when we were up by 20, and that's just a young team that doesn't understand how to play with a lead," Texas Tech head coach Chris Walker said. "There are just certain things that we've got to continue to work on to get ready for the Big 12."
Chad Jackson scored 13 points and collected four steals for the Norse, who played in the state of Texas for the first time in the program's history. Northern Kentucky shot 46 percent from the field and was 10-for-28 from 3-point range.
“We fought back after falling behind by 20 points, and I liked the way we battled out there. If we could have hit some shots early in the second half, we might have been able to pull it out,” NKU head coach
Dave Bezold said. "I can't explain how valuable it is for the growth of not only our players but our program that's starting out in Division I to have opportunities like this to come to a great institution and play in an incredible arena and against a tremendous team.”
Texas Tech (5-1) shot 58.7 percent from the field and finished with a 36-18 advantage in rebounds. The Red Raiders won despite making just 48.1 percent of their free throws, including 10-for-20 shooting in the second half.
Northern Kentucky knocked down seven 3-pointers in the first half, but Texas Tech scorched the nets at 63 percent from the field and took a 43-35 lead into the locker room at the break. The taller Red Raiders owned a 16-7 rebounding advantage at halftime and outscored the Norse 20-8 in the paint.
Texas Tech used a 14-0 run midway through the first half to build a 21-10 lead, but Northern Kentucky battled back with a 17-8 spurt to cut the Red Raider advantage to 29-27. Jones and Jackson each scored 10 points in the first half to keep Northern Kentucky within striking distance. White drained a pair of 3-pointers before halftime.
“Tyler and Jack are getting better because of the way they are practicing, and that is very encouraging,” Bezold said of the two freshmen. “They both did a great job against a lot of pressure that Texas Tech applied to us.”
Texas Tech used a 15-0 run early in the second half to build a 58-38 lead. Northern Kentucky countered with a 9-0 spurt to slice the deficit to 58-47 with 11:22 remaining on a basket by Flournoy, and the Norse eventually whittled the Texas Tech lead to 72-63 when White hit a jumper with 1:21 left on the clock.
In the final minutes, Northern Kentucky began to intentionally foul and send the Red Raiders to the line. Texas Tech had a chance to put the game away, but missed six free throws down the stretch to help keep it close.
Ethan Faulkner's layup with 20 seconds remaining cut the Texas Tech lead to 75-69, but it would also be the final points of the game.
Northern Kentucky returns to action Dec. 20 by traveling to Hampton, Va., to meet Hampton University.
NORSE NOTES: NKU sophomore post player
Jalen Billups did not make the trip to Texas Tech due to an injury. The 6-foot-6 Billups averages 8.8 points per game...NKU is now 6-30 all-time against NCAA Division I opponents in regular-season games. The Norse's last win against a Division I team in the regular season came on Jan. 14, 1984, when NKU pulled out a 66-64 victory over Tennessee State in Regents Hall...NKU will not play again for 16 days...NKU drained a season-high 10 3-pointers against Texas Tech.
