L.J. Cryer scored 20 points and made six 3-pointers as No. 1 Houston lost 82 points to No. 25 Texas Tech in the first semifinal game of the Big 12 Conference Tournament on Friday in Kansas City, Missouri. He contributed to the victory against 59. The Cougars (30-3), the top seed in the tournament, have won 11 straight and will play the winner of No. 7 Iowa State (second seed) and No. 14 Baylor (third seed) in the second semifinal. It turns out. On Saturday evening, the Big 12 was on the brink of an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. After a frenzied rally by the Red Raiders in the final five minutes of the first half, Houston led by just three points at halftime. But the Cougars dominated in the second half, scoring 20 of the game's 21 points in 6 1/2 minutes after Texas Tech tied it for the first time with 17:40 remaining. At the end of that run, Houston led 57-38. Emmanuel Sharpe scored 17 points for the Cougars, and Jamal Shihed and Javier Francis each added 12 points. Houston led by as many as 27 points in the final eight minutes of the game, holding Texas Tech to 33.3 percent shooting while forcing 19 turnovers. Chance McMillian held the Red Raiders (23-10) to 15 points, while Joe Toussaint and little-used Emeli Yaraho each added 10 points. Texas Tech (No. 4 seed in the Big 12 Tournament) finished the regular season tied for third place in the Big 12 and is scheduled to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA. The Cougars took control from the jump, building a 15-5 lead on Cryer's 3-pointer at 14:31 of the first half. With 10:55 left in the half, Sharp grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a jumper, extending Houston's advantage to 16 points. McMillan hit a jumper and then a 3-pointer with 3:37 left in the second half to cut the Red Raiders' lead to 10 points. Texas Tech was far from over, as McMillian and Yaraho hit back-to-back jumpers from beyond the arc to punctuate a 14-0 run and pull within two points with 2:12 left. Yaraho made a layup with 11 seconds left, cutting the Red Raiders' lead to 32-29 at halftime. McMillian's 10 points led all scorers in the first half, while Cryer paced the Cougars with nine points. –Field level media
