Kevin Obanor nets double-double, helps Texas Tech rally from 23 to down No. 13 Iowa State in OT

Same opponent, a slightly different end result.

In its second meeting in the Big 12 Conference, Texas Tech was unable to slow down Iowa State nor find any rhythm on offense Monday night in the first 20 minutes.

Kevin Obanor received a standing ovation for becoming one of three active players to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, but that was not the only thing that riled up the crowd inside United Supermarkets Arena.

After trailing by as many as 23 points in the second half, the Red Raiders showed they would not get embarrassed on their home court, sending the game into overtime — riling up the fans who braved the inclement weather — before securing an improbable 80-77 win over the No. 13 Cyclones in Lubbock.

"We showed our grit today," said Texas Tech's De'Vion Harmon, who had tears streaming down his face after a 16-points, five-assist, four-rebound, one-steal night. "I mean, it's been rough. ... I look up at the score and it's 50-30 in the second half. We got in the huddle and from there, we just kept going, man.

"There's not another group of guys that I'd rather play with. ... We showed fight today, and I'm proud of everybody. The coaching staff, my teammates, I mean everybody."

With the win, Texas Tech (12-10, 1-8) snapped an eight-game conference losing streak. Iowa State (15-6, 6-3) dropped its fifth road game of the season.

"It's hard to put into words the resiliency and the heart that these guys showed," said Texas Tech coach Mark Adams, whose team snapped a four-game losing streak at home Monday night. "I don't know, as a coach, if I've ever been in a situation where we're down as many points and against such a good basketball team in Iowa State.

"For us to come back and to beat a team of their caliber says so much about our team's heart and their determination, commitment and love for each other."

ISU's Gabe Kalshuer, who was fouled shooting a 3-pointer by D'Maurian Williams, went 1-for-3 to keep the contest knotted at 77-77. Kalschuer finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.

Harmon, who knotted the game at 71-71 in regulation, split a pair to put Texas Tech up 78-77 with 34.5 second left in the extra period. The senior guard also contested Caleb Grill to force a miss on the go-ahead 3-pointer.

Obanor capped off his night by swishing two free throws, pushing the Red Raiders lead to 80-77 with 19.6 left in overtime. That was enough to put away the Cyclones for good.

"To be able to be 0-8, and get beaten over and over again — a lot of teams would have folded," said Obanor, who notched 24 points and 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the year. "A lot of us have been getting heat, especially coach (Mark Adams). And a lot of people gave up on us at halftime, it was a beating.

"But, the secret is, the reason why coaches and scouts love seniors is because they've been around the block. They've been through adversity, they know how to win, they know how to go through trials and tribulations. That's the recipe that we needed. Us being 0-8 is for a reason. ... You have to lose in order to win."

Jaylon Tyson (11 points, nine rebounds, four steals) turned into a spark plug in the second half, attempting to pump up the crowd with three-point plays and a headstrong attitude on the defensive end.

And he got help from a freshman.

Osun Osunniyi was unable to handle a pass before Lamar Washington stole the basketball, ran the court and dunked it with two hands to close the gap to seven points (63-56) with six minutes to play.

Two minutes later, Harmon made it a two-possession game with a jumper in the paint, while Obanor split a pair of free throws to make it a four-point game at 64-60 with four minutes to go.

Grill, who made five three-pointers in the first half and finished with 24 in the loss, reignited that flame by making a triple but was answered by Washington, who made a difficult layup in traffic to put things at 67-62 at the 2:36 mark.

Obanor had a chance but missed a layup that would have sliced a 23-point deficit to one possssion.

On the other end, Iowa State's Robert Jones drew a foul and made both free throws to extend the lead to three points.

Williams, who recorded a steal and had a chance to set up a game-tying possession, had the ball poked away and stolen before Kalschuer (19 points, seven rebounds) ended up with it and made two free throws for the 71-66 lead.

The fight continued.

With 21 seconds left, Harmon — who netted 11 points in the second half and five in the extra session — drained a pair of a free throws to knot the game at 71-71 and force overtime.

"Yeah, they just came into the second half and they decided that they were going to play smaller and try to drive, space the floor and drive the ball," Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. "We did a good job getting stops in the early portion of the half, and that last 12 minutes or so got away from us.

"All the credit should go to Texas Tech, they were resilient. They did an unbelievable job adjusting. And their guys did a great job executing their plan down the stretch."

Injury updates

Pop Isaacs (ankle) and Fardaws Aimaq (bruised foot) did not suit up Monday.

Aimaq, who has missed the past three games with a bruised foot, did not wear a walking boot. The former Utah Valley standout has played in three games after missing the first 16 due to a broken bone in his foot suffered during a preseason workout. In three contests, he's averaging 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds.

“Getting close, yeah, I don’t know if he’s two games away, but we just want to make sure he’s healthy,” Adams said. ”He’s working out now and hopefully he’s be back in uniform in the next game or two.”

Isaacs sported a walking boot and was getting along on a knee scooter, but could be back sooner than expected, according to his head coach. Though, that remains to be seen based on his rehabilitation following a sprained ankle.

“Pop, we just don’t know,” Adams said. ”He’s doing rehab everyday, bless his heart. He’s a tough individual and he’s one of our big leaders as a freshman. He was there cheering us on and he wants to get back out as soon as he can. I’m excepting in another week or two.”

What's next: Texas Tech takes on No. 11 Baylor in a noon Saturday contest in Waco. No. 13 Iowa State is slated to host No. 8 Kansas at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Kevin Obanor nets double-double, helps Texas Tech rally from 23 to down No. 13 Iowa State in OY