NEW YORK — For the second straight game, Texas Tech looked to a left-handed shooter to lead the way.
This go-around, though, it was a veteran who’s watched from the sideline and known what it takes to have success on the biggest stages.
On Tuesday night, Avery Benson got his chance to do it on the court as he netted a career high seven points in the first half, and punctuated his effort with a block before the buzzer, to help the Red Raiders enjoy a three-point advantage and claim a 70-57 win over No. 1 Louisville inside Madison Square Garden.
With the win, Texas Tech (6-3) snapped a three-game losing streak by handing the Cardinals (9-1) their first loss of the season.
Benson, who finished with 10 points, started his night as a sparkplug by draining a three-pointer, his fifth of the season, to slice the Red Raiders deficit to 4-3 just under the 18-minute mark of the first half.
About 10 minutes later, Benson soared into the air and tipped a ball in to provide Texas Tech with a 14-12 advantage with 8:10 left before the break.
At that point, the Cardinals found their offensive rhythm thanks Steven Enoch who snapped a 10-minute scoreless streak with a turnaround shot from the left block to put Louisville down 25-18 at the 4:35 mark.
Enoch, who had 10 points at halftime, also snapped an 11-0 Texas Tech run.
The Cardinals would begin to chip away away at their scoring deficit until closing to within one point following a 5-0 run powered by a three-pointer and jumper made by Ryan McMahon and Enoch to put things at 29-28 with a little over one minute to play.
Texas Tech closed strong as Terrence Shannon Jr., who scored 24 points in the previous contest against DePaul, drove to the basket for a layup and Benson ended the half with a block on Lamarr Kimble to preserve the 31-28 lead.
For Louisville it tied a season-low 28 points which matched its output against Michigan earlier in the season.
In the final 20 minutes, the Red Raiders found ways to stave off Cardinal runs en route to the program’s first win over the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
The top spot in the polls has been a precarious spot so far this season. Michigan State started there before being beaten by Kentucky, who was then upset by Evansville. Duke then rose to No. 1 before falling to Stephen F. Austin.
2019-12-11 02:20:51Z
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2019/12/10/louisville-basketball-falls-texas-tech/4392675002/
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