Texas Tech's Kevin Obanor scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half as the No. 11 Red Raiders continued their perfect season at home with a 83-73 thumping of No. 7 Baylor. The Texas Tech victory left both teams at 9-4 in Big 12 play, two games behind Kansas in the loss column in the Big 12 standings.
Playing in its first full game without Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Baylor welcomed back LJ Cryer from his own injury, with the sharpshooter making two first-half 3-pointers as the Bears built a 39-32 halftime advantage.
But it took the Red Raiders less than five minutes to grab the lead at 43-42, and a 53-51 Texas Tech lead with under 10 minutes left quickly swelled to a 13-point edge at 64-51 with Obanor scoring nine of the 11 points on the run.
Baylor pulled to within five in the final minute, but a 5-0 run put the game away.
Obanor's 23 points and 13 rebounds complemented Bryson Williams' 17 points as the Red Raiders had four players in double figures. James Akinjo paced Baylor's effort with 18 points and seven assists.
Texas Tech's win put Kansas in a strong position to capture its 16th Big 12 Championship in the last 18 years. Texas Tech and Baylor both have five Big 12 games left, while Kansas has six. The Bears have a chance to pull a game back on Kansas when the Jayhawks come to Waco on Feb. 26. Kansas defeated Baylor in Lawrence earlier this month, while Kansas and Texas Tech split home-and-away this season.
Here are the leaders of the Big 12 after Wednesday's games:
| Big 12 | Conf. | Overall | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 10-2 | 21-4 | W2 |
| Baylor | 9-4 | 21-5 | L1 |
| Texas Tech | 9-4 | 20-6 | W2 |
| Texas | 8-5 | 19-7 | W1 |
Both Baylor and Texas Tech return to the court Saturday, with the Bears hosting TCU and the Red Raiders traveling to Texas.
