No. 7 Texas Tech beats Kansas State to take sole Big 12 lead

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) Texas Tech coach Chris Beard was just happy to walk out with a victory.

''We were pleased to win another Big 12 game today.'' Beard said.

Keenan Evans scored 19 points and No. 7 Texas Tech beat Kansas State 66-47 on Saturday night to take sole possession of the Big 12 lead.

''These games are so hard to win with all the preparation and you have to play well to win especially on the road in this league,'' Beard said. ''I am happy for our guys. Defensively we dialed in. I think we played our fullest 40 minutes of the year defensively.''

Texas Tech (21-4, 9-3) relied on strong second-half defense. After a 27-27 deadlock in the first half, the Red Raiders turned up the pressure.

''They were denying return passes so we had to adjust from running a couple of days.'' Cartier Diarra said. ''I still feel like we adjusted pretty well. I feel like we got shots that we wanted, but they just did not fall.''

In the second half, Kansas State (17-8, 6-6) had more turnovers (11) than made baskets (5) and ended up shooting just 29 percent on the night.

Dean Wade led the Wildcats with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

At the end of the night, the Red Raiders are atop the Big 12 and guard Keenan Evans isn't worried about outside opinions. They are just trying to shock the world.

''We are Texas Tech in Lubbock.'' Evans said.

''Nobody really talks about us that much. That was not really a factor for us. We knew what we were working for and game by game we are just trying to shock the world.''

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: Kansas State's loss keeps the Wildcats on the NCAA Tournament Bubble for now.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have now won six in a row.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Texas Tech has a good chance of moving into the top five after an upset-filled week.

THEY SAID IT

''When they get that eight-point lead, it's like playing a team that runs the Wishbone in football. They do a good job protecting their lead, they tough, they're physical. They're one of the best defensive teams in the nation.'' - Kansas State coach Bruce Weber on Texas Tech's defense.

STATS AND STREAKS

During the current six-game winning streak, Texas Tech has held opponents to 63.3 points per game.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech: Hosts Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

Kansas State: At Oklahoma State on Wednesday night.