Texas Tech fires from deep to beat No. 11 Baylor in season finale

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Pop Isaacs scored 20 points, including the first of Texas Tech's four consecutive 3-pointers after No. 11 Baylor had taken its only lead after halftime, and the Red Raiders went on to a 78-68 victory in the regular-season finale Saturday night.

The Red Raiders (22-9, 11-7 Big 12) had missed their first five 3s of the second half before Issacs connected with 7:03 left for a 56-54 lead. RayJ Dennis then made a tying layup for Baylor before Tech scored 11 points in a row, going ahead on a 3 by Darrion Williams.

Williams had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and like Isaacs played most of the second half with four fouls. Chance McMillian finished with 11 points off the bench.

Ja'Kobe Walter had 15 points for Baylor (22-9, 11-7), while Jayden Nunn scored 14 and Dennis added 12.

Both teams were already guaranteed top-four finishes in the Big 12 standings, so they get double-byes into the quarterfinal round of next week's conference tournament. Baylor will be the No. 3 seed in Kansas City, Missouri, while Texas Tech will be the No. 4 seed.

Walter's 3-pointer with 7:25 left was part of a 16-4 run that put the Bears ahead 54-53. But then Texas Tech made six field goals in a row, including consecutive transition 3s by Kerwin Walton.

Baylor's only other lead was 2-0 after Walter made the first shot of the game. The Red Raiders then scored 16 points in a row, nine by Isaacs.

BIG PICTURE

Baylor: The Bears were trying for another big comeback, having trailed by 16 points with 16 minutes left. They were coming off a 93-85 win over Texas on Monday night after trailing by 14, their biggest comeback win of the season. They also erased a 16-point halftime deficit against No. 1 Houston before falling in overtime.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders finished 15-2 at home in coach Grant McCasland's first season. They had a 40-29 rebounding advantage.

UP NEXT

The Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, with Baylor and Texas Tech both playing in the quarterfinal round Thursday against opponents to be determined. Both will play a team that has won either one or two games in the tournament already.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball