LUBBOCK, Texas – Darius Johnson had 24 points, Keyshawn Hall scored 22 and UCF upped its win streak to six after holding on for an 87-83 victory over Texas Tech on Tuesday in a Big 12 Conference opener.
Johnson made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 19 seconds after the Knights (10-2) saw an 18-point second-half lead shrink to one.
UCF used a 24-12 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half to turn an eight-point halftime lead into a 71-53 advantage. Chance McMillian answered with a three-point play and scored five in an 11-0 run over the next 2 1/2 minutes as Texas Tech (9-3) closed within 71-64.
JT Toppin scored on back-to-back possession to get the Red Raiders within 84-83 with 37 seconds left. McMillian — the second-best 3-point shooter in the country at 53.4% — missed with 11 seconds left and a chance to tie.
Johnson made 7 of 10 shots with two 3-pointers and 8 of 10 foul shots for the Knights. Hall sank 9 of 13 — 4 of 4 from distance — and grabbed eight rebounds. Moustapha Thiam scored 10.
Toppin had 26 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double for Texas Tech — all in the past six games. Federiko Federiko and McMillian scored 12 points apiece. Elijah Hawkins and Darrion Williams both scored 11.
Texas Tech travels to play Utah on Saturday. UCF returns home to play No. 7 Kansas on Sunday.
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