Fardaws Aimaq recorded a double-double with a season-high 19 points and 10 rebounds to help lead Texas Tech to a 74-63 road win over Oklahoma in a game where the Red Raiders owned a 38-22 rebounding advantage on Tuesday at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Tech (16-12, 5-10 Big 12) extended its winning streak to four games with four players scoring in double figures and a 40-24 scoring advantage in the paint. Jaylon Tyson provided 18 points and eight rebounds, Kevin Obanor had 11 points and seven rebounds and Pop Isaacs scored 11 points with three 3-pointers.
“This is a big win for us,” Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said. “I thought the biggest difference on the stat sheet was the rebounding. I thought we did a great job on the boards.”
Tech improved to 3-6 on the road and have now won four in a row with wins over Kansas State, Texas, West Virginia and the Sooners who fell to 3-12 in Big 12 play and 13-15 overall. It was a 33-31 halftime lead and a game that had eight lead changes in the opening half. The lead never changed in the second half with the 11-point final margin being the largest of the game. The Red Raiders, who were 1-10 in Big 12 play before this winning streak, improved to 4-1 when teams were going for a season sweep with only Baylor getting it.
Aimaq secured his second straight double-double and the 43rd in his career by going 9-for-15 from the field and also grabbing three offensive rebounds. His 19 points are a season-high and came with him making one 3-pointer. He was coming off 14 points and 12 rebounds last Saturday in the road win at West Virginia.
“I was just trying to do anything I could to help us win,” Aimaq said. “My biggest strength is my rebounding. Any time I can do that, I’m going to do it at a high level. I try to release some pressure on our guards and let them know that they can take tough shots. I’m going to rebound everything I can. Down the stretch, we got some stops and key rebounds. That helped us pull out the win.”
The Red Raiders started the game 7-for-7 from the field and would finish by shooting 29-for-47 (61.7 percent) – the top shooting percentage in a Big 12 game this season. Isaacs was 3-for-5 on 3-pointers for his 11 points from the starting lineup, while Tyson was 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and 7-for-8 from the field. Tyson led Tech with 13 points in the second half and added three assists. De’Vion Harmon led Tech with four assists and two steals along with scoring eight points in his return to OU. He played his first two seasons for the Sooners before transferring.
Obanor finished the game 4-for-7 from the field, scoring eight of his 11 points in the second half. Tech was 7-for-12 on 3-pointers in the game, hitting three in the second half. The team had only three turnovers in the second half.
Tech overcame a game with 16 turnovers with the rebounding advantage and high shooting percentage. OU committed only eight turnovers and was 12-for-15 from the free-throw line. Stats that could have turned the game without Tech dominating inside.
Tanner Groves led OU with 16 points and six rebounds, while Jalen Hill had 14 points and Milos Uzan and Grant Sherfield scored 10 each. The Sooners finished the game shooting 21-for-59 (35.6 percent) from the field and were 9-for-33 (27.3 percent) on 3-pointers.
Tech took a 33-31 lead into halftime after going 13-for-20 (65.0 percent) from the field and 4-of-6 on 3-pointers, but also committing 13 turnovers. Aimaq led the Red Raiders with 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting, while Isaacs and Harmon had six points each. Isaacs was 2-for-3 on 3-pointers with his only miss coming at the halftime buzzer from halfcourt. Tech had led by five at 14-9 for its largest lead of the first half that saw eight lead changes. Tanner Groves led OU with nine points while Sherfield had seven. OU was 10-for-31 from the field, making five 3-pointers, and committing only three turnovers. Tech was coming off a game at WVU with 12 lead changes in the first half.
Texas Tech is now down to three games in the regular season with No. 24 TCU coming to Lubbock for an 11 a.m. matchup on Saturday. The Red Raiders took a 67-61 in the first game against the Horned Frogs on New Year’s Eve in Fort Worth to open conference play. Tech is currently 11-4 at home this season, including going 3-4 in Big 12 play on its home court. The regular season concludes next week with a Tuesday night game at No. 3 Kansas before hosting Oklahoma State on Saturday, March 4 at the USA where Obanor will be honored as the lone senior on the team
