The Jacks battled bad weather to get to Texas and found the team that was waiting for them even tougher.
Four Jackrabbits scored in double figures and the Jacks led at half for the 11th time in 11 games this season, but Texas Tech turned 20 South Dakota State turnovers into 23 points, which made the difference in a 79-67 Red Raider win over the Jackrabbits on Wednesday at United Supermarkets Arena.
The loss snaps a three game winning streak for the Jacks and drops them to 9-2 on the season, while the hosts’ sixth consecutive win boosts their record to 7-1.
Four early Jackrabbits turnovers fueled an early 13-0 Red Raider Run that put them up 15-2, but the Jacks bounced back, and used a 10-2 run to cut the lead 19-15 with 11 minutes, 4 seconds left in the opening half.
SDSU would add an 8-0 run later in the half, highlighted by a Deondre Parks triple with 7:07 on the clock that gave the Jacks their first lead at 26-23 and ended with their largest lead at 28-23 with 6:32 left on the first half clock.
Down 38-36 at the half, the Red Raiders started a full court press to force more SDSU turnovers early in the second half to help them regain the lead, and then used an 11-0 run later in the half put them up 64-52. Tevin King snapped the run with an and-1 with 9:44 left that cut the lead to 64-55, but the Jacks would get no closer than that nine point margin the rest of the game.
Reed Tellinghuisen led the Jackrabbits with 19 points, 14 of them in the first half, and tied a career-high with five 3-pointers. Parks finished with 17 points, adding six rebounds and a pair of assists. King finished with a season-high 12 points, while Mike Daum scored 11 and came up one rebound shy of his second-career double-double.
Toddrick Gotcher led four Red Raiders in double figures with 17 points; Zach Smith added 13, while Norense Odiase and Devaugntah Williams both finished with 10 points in the win.
The Jackrabbits look to rebound from the loss on Saturday, when they take on FGCU in Fort Myers, Fla., on Saturday at 4 p.m.
