Pop Isaacs scored 22 points as No. 25 Texas Tech defeated No. 20 BYU 81-67 on Thursday in the Big 12 quarterfinals in Kansas City, Missouri. Chance McMillian added 17 points off the bench for the Red Raiders (23 points, -9), who will face either No. 1-ranked Houston or TCU in Friday's semifinals. Jackson Robinson sank four 3-pointers and led BYU to 18 points (23-10). Trailing by double digits for most of the day, the Cougars rallied in the closing stages and went on a 15-0 run to cut the Red Raider advantage to 62-55. But Texas Tech responded with 3-pointers from Joe Toussaint and Darrion Williams in a 45-second span to pull away. Those were the Red Raiders' first two shots from beyond the arc in the second half after going 7-of-11 on downs in the opening 20 minutes. Isaacs and Kerwin Walton led Texas Tech to a 9-0 lead in the first few minutes, extending the lead to 14-2 and building a 42-23 lead by halftime. Texas Tech played well to take the lead, but BYU didn't offer much resistance as it was the worst offensive day for one of the best shooting teams in the country. A day after making 14 3-pointers in a win over UCF, the Cougars couldn't find their rhythm. He shot 21.2 percent (7-of-33) in the first half, missing more shots than scoring, and was 3-of-18 from beyond the arc. BYU finished the day shooting 37 percent (25 of 67) from the floor and 20 percent (7 of 35) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders were rattled and humming on offense despite being held back by an ankle injury for most of the game after Williams twisted his ankle. Williams finished with seven points, helped by a timely trey. –Field level media
