Texas Tech University Athletics
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Late Lady Raider Comeback Falls Short
February 21, 2015 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2015
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LUBBOCK, Texas -- Kelsi Baker scored a career-high 19 points and Ivonne CookTaylor's 3-pointer just missed tying the game as time expired to give No. 25 Texas a 62-59 win on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena.
Amber Battle finished in double figures for the 19th time this season with 16 points and Rayven Brooks added 12.
Tech (15-12, 5-10 Big 12) trailed by as much as 12 with 3:31 to play. The Lady Raiders then forced three turnovers and scored on their next seven possessions during a 12-2 run to make it 61-59 with 15 seconds left. CookTaylor missed the second of two free throws that could have made it a one-point game before Brooke McCarty followed with a split at the line on the opposite end to set up one final attempt with nine seconds left on the clock.
"It's a play that we have for end of game," Tech head coach Candi Whitaker said. "We can get a two and there's two options for a three."
CookTaylor got the look and the shot hit off the back of the iron and nearly came back down in the basket as the buzzer sounded.
Texas (18-8, 7-8) never trailed after the 9:19 mark in the first half when the Lady Raiders took a 17-14 lead on the heels of a 10-2 run. The Longhorns then went on a run of their own over the next eight minutes, outscoring Tech 17-6 to help take a 31-25 lead at the break.
The Horns then took their 12-point lead thanks to 10 points in in two minutes after Tech stayed within two possessions for most of the second half.
"Obviously you can't start like we did, and you can't get beat to loose balls like we did," Whitaker said. "I thought we rallied there in the second half to give ourselves a chance. Too many plays added up throughout the game that put us in that situation."
Tech now has the short, two-day turnaround before heading to north to take on Iowa State (16-10, 7-8) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hilton Coliseum.
