Wildcats didn’t score the last 5-plus minutes
Arizona got on a plane Friday afternoon for Lubbock but left its offense back in Tucson.
The Wildcats had their worst offensive performance of the season, particularly down the stretch, failing to score over the final 5-plus minutes of a 70-54 loss at Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon. The loss snapped a 7-game win streak and knocked them out of a tie for first place in the Big 12.
Arizona (11-6, 5-1) shot 31 percent, the second-lowest clip of the Tommy Lloyd era, including 27.6 percent in the second half. It missed its final 12 shots and 15 of 16, managing zero field goals over the final 7:33.
Yet it only trailed by 3 before that drought, as Texas Tech (13-4, 4-2) finished the game on a 13-0 run and led for all but 3:01. Arizona led for 49 seconds after trailing for less than seven total minutes in starting 5-0 in the league.
Jaden Bradley was Arizona’s leading scorer, with 11 points, while Carter Bryant had 10 off the bench but none in the second half. Tobe Awaka went for eight points and 14 rebounds but Caleb Love had another dismal shooting game, going 3 for 13 (0 for 5 from 3) for nine points, while KJ Lewis was 1 of 7 in his return to West Texas and Henri Veesaar was scoreless in 14 minutes after going for a career-high 19 against Baylor on Tuesday.
Texas Tech outrebounded Arizona 50-34, turning 16 offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points. JT Toppin had 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Red Raiders.
Down 33-26 at halftime, Arizona needed less than two minutes to tie it thanks to five quick points from Bradley and two Trey Townsend free throws which came on a third foul against Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams, its leading scorer.
Tech quickly went back up five, though, and led 45-39 after a 3-point play from Elijah Hawkins.
Two free throws by Awaka got the UA within 51-50 with 8:24 to go and it stayed a one-possession margin for more than two minutes until the Red Raiders got three chances on one trip and converted that into free throws for a 57-52 lead with 6:14 remaining.
The UA had a chance to tie with 4:34 left but Love’s 3 from the top of the key airballed, setting the stage for the scoreless finish. While the Wildcats would go 0 for 11 down the stretch Tech made 4 of 6 shots and 9 of 10 from the line.
Unlike the previous five Big 12 games, Arizona found itself in a hole early. The Wildcats trailed by seven less than seven minutes in but managed to keep it a 1- or 2-possession game most of the rest of the half.
Tech had eight offensive rebounds in the first half, six in the first 10 minutes, while Arizona had three but only one over the first 15-plus minutes.
A 3-pointer by Bryant got Arizona within 28-24 with 1:57 left before halftime, its only make in the last 10 shots it took during the first half when it shot 34.5 percent and managed a season-low in points.
Arizona’s road trip continues Tuesday night at Oklahoma State.