In the final minutes of Saturday's Big 12 Conference game at United Supermarket Arena, Darrion Williams had two chances.
The first option was a chance at UCF as a mid-range jumper for the 6-foot-2 forward. Williams drew several looks as the Knights pushed the Texas Tech basketball team's offense into a zone to slow down. During the match Williams missed a few shots.
The second option was to reverse the cut. He had a clear path to the hole, though the UCF defense did well to pile up the basket and force tough looks all afternoon.
Williams stopped for a moment, stood up and shot, giving Tech a 60-57 lead.
It was one of the key things Williams did during the match. His double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds was the catalyst that led the Red Raiders (17-6, 6-4) to a 66-59 victory that snapped the team's three-game losing streak.
“I'm happy we won,” Williams said. “I was tired of losing.”
Williams still had a decision to make before the game.
In Tech's last two games, Williams began wearing a headband. Unaware, Williams decided to stop wearing the armband after the Red Raiders lost both games, even one of which saw him score 17 points against Baylor for the transfer to Nevada.
Headgear aside, Williams has recently become a bigger part of Texas Tech's operations. He logged 37 minutes, 53 seconds on the court against the Knights in his third straight game as an Ironman at Tech. Every second photo on the slide matters.
“The ability to make a simple play without turning the ball over, without handling the ball, giving us another guy who can pass and make decisions,” Tech coach Grant McCausland said, “is huge for us and could be No. 1. He was overestimated how important he is to our team...
Part of the comeback in the scoring column has come from the scoreboards, an area of concern for McCausland all season.
Game recap: Darrion Williams' double helps No. 23 Texas Tech end basketball losing streak: 3 to take
On Saturday, the Red Raiders won the rebounding battle for the second time in the Big 12, outscoring UCF 37-44 with a 14-12 edge on offense. Warren Washington (10 points), returning after missing Tuesday's game due to illness, added six total rebounds to help the cause.
“They rebounded the ball really well,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. “I thought Williams and Washington were great. Both of these guys are active on both committees. “They focused their efforts on offensive and defensive rebounds.”
Dawkins was without his team's best rebounder, 7-foot center Ibrahima Diallo, and Texas Tech took advantage of Washington's return.
"Obviously rebounding is one of our weaknesses," Washington said, "and it's something we've really looked at and worked on in practice. I'm happy we can win the rebounding battle."
Texas Tech's guard trio of Pop Isaacs, Joe Toussaint and Chance McMillian scored 23 points on 6-of-32 shooting (3-of-14 from 3-point range), led by Washington, Williams and Kerwin Walton. Lifting heavy loads.
Walton led Tech with a 12-point effort in the first half, with the senior forward making four 3s (someone else hit more than one). That gave the Red Raiders a first-half lead, and then Williams and Washington did the rest.
His emergence in this position comes at the right time for the Red Raiders. Next Monday's home game against Kansas, a quick turnaround for both teams: the No. 1 Jayhawks on Saturday. 4 beat No. 4 Baylor. 13 64-61.
MORE: Opinion of Texas Tech basketball team unlikely to change in three games | the geese
Texas Tech and Kansas have similar roster structures, with most of the action revolving around their center; For Kansas, that's 7-foot-2 Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson. He doesn't tend to have success behind the arc, but it comes down to the Jayhawks' color scheme, which will keep players like Williams and Washington busy.
With the losing streak behind them, the Red Raiders can carry momentum into their final eight games of the Big 12. As McCausland has been saying for weeks, Texas Tech's prospects will be reduced to holding the glass, and its players know it.
“We've been (getting) hard on ourselves the last few weeks,” Williams said, “so we really emphasized that in practice and came out today, but we've got to build on that.” Be a toy."
This article originally appeared in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Post players ranked 23rd in Texas Tech basketball's win at UCF.
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