No. 2 West Virginia Upset by No. 8 Texas Tech in Narrow 72-71 Loss

The No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders upset No. 2 West Virginia 72-71 on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, to snap the Mountaineers' 15-game winning streak. 

The loss, which dropped West Virginia to 15-2 on the season, was the program's first since it suffered a season-opening defeat Nov. 10 against Texas A&M.        

Texas Tech, meanwhile, improved to 15-2 and responded with a statement win after falling to Trae Young and the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday. 

It was an especially fruitful day for the Red Raiders offense, which figured to have its hands full with a swarming West Virginia defense that ranks ninth in KenPom.com's adjusted efficiency. 

While Texas Tech only boasted a pair of double-figure scorers in Keenan Evans (20 points) and Brandone Francis (17 points), it shot 50 percent from the field and attempted 28 free throws to erase a seven-point halftime deficit. 

ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman noted Evans was especially clutch in the game's waning minutes, including a jumper that put the Red Raiders up four points with 39 seconds to play: 

The Mountaineers countered with a game-high 28 points from Jevon Carter and Esa Ahmad's big 18-point effort off the bench, but they shot 39 percent from the field and couldn't mount the turnover edge they often do (both teams committed 13). 

West Virginia won't have much time to dwell on that performance, with a home showdown against the Kansas Jayhawks looming Monday. 

The Red Raiders, though, will be off until Wednesday, when they travel to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns.