Game Links:
Tortilla Tossin’ Player of the Game: Not sure how I pick someone other than Mac McClung for a second straight game. McClung was very impressive, was throwing daggers when it was really early in the game and was generally unable to be stopped. McClung was 7 of 12 from the floor, 2 of 3 from the three-point line, 2 boards, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, a block, and a steal, and that’s all she wrote.
The Motion:
- A bit more of an uneven game, but I felt like the second unit played for pretty much the entire second half. And the second half was uneven at best. Texas Tech shot 54% in the first half, 44% from the three-point line, and made 85% of free throws. The second half wasn’t terrible, just not quite as good, making 46% of shots, 38% of three-point shots, and 78% of their free throws.
- The big disparity was the second half, where Sam Houston State only made 21% of their shots, 14% of three-point shots, and 56% from the line (only 7 attempts), while in the second half they made 40% from the floor, 27% from the three-point line, and 71% from the line (which included 14 attempts). As you all know, basketball is a game of runs and Sam Houston State wasn’t a team that was just going to score 15 points each half. That was probably a good goal, but unrealistic.
- Marcus Santos-Silva was maybe the second best player on the court, 12 points, 9 boards, an assist, a turnover, and a steal for the evening. He only played 19 minutes, so he almost assuredly would have had a double-double had he played just a bit more. Oh, and he also made 5 of 6 from the floor and was 2 of 2 from the free throw line. That’s really efficient.
- A not-so-good shooting night from Kyler Edwards, 1 of 6 from the floor, but he did make all 6 free throws, had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers to finish the night. Same thing from Micah Peavy (although I could swear he made a shot), 1 rebound, 2 assists, 3 fouls, and a turnover. That’s the freshman life for sure, some days it is good and some days not so much.
- Terrence Shannon, Jr. was also pretty efficient, 10 points on 4 of 6 from the flor, 5 boards, 3 assists, and just 1 turnover.
- The bench players played most of the second half, so every player scored, the bench being led by Jamarius Burton, 8 points, 3 boards, 2 assists. Burton hit both of his 3 point shots and looked good doing it. Nimari Burnett also scored 8 on 2 of 5, making 3 of 4 free throws, 4 rebounds, and an assist. Joel Ntambwe looked good, as did Tyreek Smith.
- Not as clean of a game, but a part of that was Clarence Nadolny being a bit careless.
- So statistically, Texas Tech wasn’t as good offensively, scoring 1.235 points per possession, which is fantastic, and only allowed .754, which is also really good. Sam Houston State wasn’t a good team, so this was the expected result.
- Some stats. Texas Tech had an 8 point edge in rebounding, and didn’t rebound on the offensive side of the ball as much as NWST, only 7 offensive boards. Texas Tech scored 35 bench points, and had 22 points in the paint. Texas Tech had 12 turnovers, 5 in the first half, and 7 in the second. I think Beard wants to keep it at 10 or under.
Highlights