Texas Tech staff clean the court after object were thrown in a Big 12 basketball game against Texas Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK

Texas beats Texas Tech in game marred by poor fan behavior

Originally posted on Field Level Media | Last updated 2/28/24

Dylan Disu supplied 21 points and six rebounds as Texas handed Texas Tech its second home loss of the season with an 81-69 victory in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday night.

Disu made 9 of 16 shots from the floor for the Longhorns (18-10, 7-8 Big 12), who managed to bounce back from Saturday's 86-67 loss to then-No. 9 Kansas. Max Abmas added 18 points, while Chendall Weaver posted 15 points and eight boards.

The game was essentially decided by halftime, as Texas canned 60 percent of its field-goal attempts in the first half to race out to a 47-23 lead by the break. The Red Raiders (19-9, 8-7) went just 8-for-33 from the floor (24.2 percent) through the first 20 minutes of action.

However, Texas Tech started to chip away after the Longhorns' lead swelled to 57-28 thanks to a Disu layup with 17:01 left in the game.

A good portion of the Red Raiders' momentum came from tempers flaring near the midpoint of the second half.

Texas Tech's Brock Cunningham hip-checked Darrion Williams on a loose ball, and the two had to be separated by teammates, infuriating a home crowd that had been lulled into a quiet trance by the blowout.

This was the play that led to everything. pic.twitter.com/T9fOOB6HhM
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) February 28, 2024

After a review, Cunningham was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected, but Texas Tech was tagged with an administrative technical foul because fans littered the court with debris. When water bottles continued to fly, Red Raiders coach Grant McCasland took a courtside microphone and urged the crowd to calm down.

Wild scene in Lubbock.

Texas's Brock Cunningham is assessed a Flagrant 2 and ejected.

Unhappy Texas Tech fans throw things on the floor, leading to an administrative technical on the Red Raiders.

This prompts coach Grant McCasland gets on the mic to tell them to stop. pic.twitter.com/VikSnGrZaz
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) February 28, 2024

The exchange of free throws ended with Texas in front 67-42 with 10:15 remaining, and immediately after that, Texas Tech fought to climb within 15 points five times down the stretch. It got as close as 12, but that was when Chance McMillian canned a 3-pointer with five seconds to play.

McMillian finished with 10 points, while Pop Isaacs paced the Red Raiders with 17. Williams totaled 16 points and eight rebounds and Joe Toussaint netted 13 points as Texas Tech lost for the third time in four games.

This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.

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