PHOENIX: Andrew Nembhard scored 16 points, Rahir Bolton added 15 and No. 5 Gonzaga outlasted No. 25 Texas Tech 69-55 in the Colangelo Classic on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (9-2) withstood Texas Tech’s defensive pressure most of the afternoon in the desert, limiting turnovers while working the ball around for open looks.
The Red Raiders collapsed in on Gonzaga big man Drew Timme, holding the preseason All-American to seven points on 2-of-4 shooting, but the Zags overcame it by hitting 13 3-pointers five by Bolton. Gonzaga led by eight at halftime and stretched it to 16 by hitting four 3s during a big run midway through the second half.
The Red Raiders (8-2) struggled offensively without leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr., who didn’t play after leaving Tuesday’s game against Arkansas State with back spasms. Texas Tech shot 37% and wasn’t able to mount a charge after Gonzaga’s big second-half run.
Kevin McCullar and Adonis Arms had 14 points each to lead the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech has made a seamless transition to Mark Adams since Chris Beard left for Texas. The Red Raiders rolled through their early schedule, lost a close game at Providence and knocked off No. 18 Tennessee in overtime at Madison Square Garden.
Texas Tech has played the kind of defense Adams helped Beard establish during five seasons in Lubbock, entering Saturday’s game fifth in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
The Red Raiders faced their biggest test yet against a Gonzaga team that leads the nation in shooting at 53% and is second in offensive efficiency.
Texas Tech did a decent job of mucking it up in the first half, holding the Zags to 12-of-30 shooting while preventing them from going on any big runs. Davion Warren had the defensive play of the half, tracking down Nembhard to block his layup in transition off the backboard.
Where the Red Raiders had trouble was on offense, particularly with Shannon out.
Gonzaga is annually one of the nation’s best defensive teams and hounded Texas Tech throughout the first half. The Zags held the Red Raiders to 11-of-27 shooting and led 34-26 at halftime.
Texas Tech’s defense continued to cause problems early in the second half and its offense found a bit of a rhythm, using an 8-0 run to pull within 42-40.
Gonzaga answered with a 3-point spree, making four straight during an 18-4 run to go up 60-44. Texas Tech went back to struggling on offense after that, unable to mount any kind of run.
BIG PICTURE
Texas Tech played and guarded hard, but will likely drop back out of the AP Top 25 by falling short against the Zags.
Gonzaga was efficient at both ends, as it usually is, to grind out another win over a Top-25 team.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech hosts Eastern Washington on Wednesday.
Gonzaga hosts Northern Arizona Monday.
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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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