Pop Isaacs ignites No. 25 Texas Tech basketball comeback against No. 20 BYU: 3 takeaways

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Pop Isaacs ignites No. 25 Texas Tech basketball comeback against No. 20 BYU: 3 takeaways

Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal · Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Sun, Jan 21, 2024 ·

2 min read

Woof, there it is

That about sums up the first 20 minutes of Saturday's game for the Red Raiders. The Cougars got the first eight points of the game and had their way with the Texas Tech defense.

BYU, coming into the game averaging 12.4 made 3-pointers per game, had 10 at the break. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders were 12-of-34 from the field total.

On the other end of the floor, no Red Raider other than Warren Washington was able to get much traction offensively. The 7-footer had 11 points at the break on 5-of-8 from the field.

Texas Tech's guard Pop Isaacs (2) attempts to shoot the ball against BYU in a Big 12 basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at United Supermarkets Arena.

Joe Toussaint continues his offensive struggles

For much of the year, Joe Toussaint was the offensive catalyst for the Red Raiders, both in point production and playmaking. The fifth-year senior has been neutralized by opponents over the last few games, and Texas Tech's offensive woes are a big part of it.

Toussaint missed all five of his shots from the field and only saw the floor for 10 minutes, 55 seconds in the first half. He was able to get to the basket on drives, unlike the last two games, but rarely looked to draw contact and finish, something he made a habit in the early portion of the season.

Toussaint was 3-of-9 against Oklahoma State, 4-of-13 against Kansas State and only got up four shots against Houston, making two of them.

His first bucket of the game came at an important time, though. He converted an and-1 in transition to make it a 62-60 game.

Pop Isaacs the savior for the Red Raiders

Isaacs was one who struggled from the field in the first half but he totally redeemed himself in the second half.

In helping the Red Raiders turn a 16-point halftime deficit into a 75-70 lead with 2:41 left, Isaacs hit 5 of his 7 attempts from 3-point range and had already tied his career-high of 28 points. Isaacs also had four assists and four rebounds in the second stanza, which helped turn the tied of the game for good.

What's next?

The Red Raiders, who split their two games against ranked squads this week, have a week to recover before a pair of road games. Texas Tech will visit Oklahoma on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip and follow that up with a trip to TCU next Tuesday.