LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech erased a 23-point deficit after halftime Monday night, edging No. 13 Iowa State 80-77 in overtime to tie the largest comeback by any team in Division I men’s basketball this season.
The Cyclones took a 59-36 lead with 12:38 remaining in regulation. At that point, they had a 99.6% win probability. However, the Red Raiders rallied for their first Big 12 win of the season, also tying the largest comeback to beat an AP-ranked team over the past decade and setting a record for the largest second-half deficit overcome to win a game in the history of the Big 12/Big 8.
One of Caleb Grill‘s career-best eight 3-pointers gave Iowa State that 59-36 lead, but Texas Tech started a 20-3 run not long after to make it close down the stretch.
Kevin Obanor had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Red Raiders (12-10, 1-8 Big 12), who won their second consecutive game, including a victory over LSU in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. De’Vion Harmon scored all 16 of his points after the break.
Grill scored 24 points but missed his final three 3-pointers after starting 8-of-9. One came on a frantic game-ending sequence in which the Cyclones (15-6, 6-3) missed three from long range trying to force a second overtime.
Iowa State still led by five with 40 seconds remaining in regulation when Obanor hit a 3-pointer and the Red Raiders forced one of 14 second-half turnovers from the Cyclones on the inbound play.
Harmon was fouled on a drive and made both free throws for the first tie of the game with 21 seconds remaining after Iowa State had led all the way. Gabe Kalscheur‘s 3-pointer at the buzzer for Iowa State was short.
The Red Raiders took their first lead early in overtime on a layup by D’Maurian Williams, and their biggest lead was the final margin.
Harmon put them ahead with one of two free throws with 42 seconds remaining, and Obanor hit two more after another of Grill’s late misses on an off-balance 3.
The Cyclones, who beat Texas Tech by 34 points at home last month, led by 17 at halftime — their largest lead in a road conference game over the past 10 seasons — and took their first 20-point lead one of Grill’s 3s in the opening seconds of the second half.
Iowa State’s only field goal in the final 10 minutes of regulation was the 3-pointer that gave Grill his career high of eight.
The Red Raiders rallied without freshman point guard Pop Isaacs, their leading scorer scorer in conference play. He missed a second consecutive game with an ankle injury while 6-foot-11 senior Fardaws Aimaq was out with a foot injury.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.