Texas Tech is Elite: Red Raiders rally from 16 down to top Arkansas in OT
SAN FRANCISCO — Darrion Williams grew up in Sacramento before moving to Las Vegas. Asked if there was an increase in the usual amount of ticket requests for a Sweet 16 game against Arkansas, the Texas Tech wing answered affirmatively and with a smile. And now the list might get longer for Saturday night.
Advertisement
Williams hit a 3-pointer to cap a massive comeback in regulation and then backed his way into a game-winner at the rim with seven seconds left in overtime, sending the Red Raiders to an 85-83 win over the Razorbacks and into an Elite Eight matchup with No. 1 seed Florida.
Texas Tech trailed by as many as 16 points and was down 13 with four and a half minutes to play. It appeared as though John Calipari would storm back into an Elite Eight for the first time in six years, after an ugly divorce with Kentucky and a move 700 miles west to Fayetteville. It appeared the SEC would guarantee itself a Final Four participant with a matchup of two of its record 14 NCAA Tournament entrants at the Chase Center on Saturday.
D5. CLUTCH. AGAIN!
THE SECOND LARGEST COMEBACK EVER IN THE SWEET 16!#TTW | 📺 TBS pic.twitter.com/zndRzXTUQt
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) March 28, 2025
Instead, Arkansas put the ball in the hands of sophomore D.J. Wagner for three of the biggest shots of the game, despite getting 30 points from Johnell Davis and 20 from Karter Knox on the night. Wagner missed a potential game-winner at the end of regulation, tied it before Williams' heroics in overtime and then came up short on a jumper as time expired.
It was, to be polite, not the best offensive night for Texas Tech or Williams, its 6-foot-6 junior hero, on the whole. The team's second-leading scorer missed his first four shots and wound up shooting just 8-for-26 overall. The team hit just 41 percent from the game. But that included a 5-for-6 showing in overtime, which was just enough to nudge past the Razorbacks.
The deficit was 13 points with four and a half minutes left to play, the Red Raiders left with only slivers of a chance by the metrics. When freshman Christian Anderson drained a 3-pointer with 2:06 to play, Texas Tech had gone on a 10-0 run, cut the deficit to three and goaded Arkansas into a timeout to discuss how not to blow what seemed like a fait accompli.
Advertisement
The suddenly stagnant Arkansas offense found its answer where it had all night: beyond the arc. A Knox corner 3-pointer beat the shot clock and built the lead back to six. But Anderson then drained another 3-pointer to answer with a little more than a minute remaining, and once again, Texas Tech forced Arkansas into a late shot-clock look.
This time, Trevon Brazile bricked a look from long range. But another 3-pointer from Anderson came up short down the other end. Jonas Aidoo then missed the front end of a one-and-one, and when the clock didn't begin to roll on the rebound, it afforded Texas Tech a free timeout to draw up a set with 24.6 seconds left, trailing 72-69.
Nothing worked, and the ball found its way into Williams' hands. He hoisted from deep and made just his second 3-pointer in 10 attempts to tie the game at 72-72 with 9.7 seconds left in regulation. Instead of getting the ball into either the hands of Davis or Knox, Calipari let Wagner pick up steam and drive for a decisive score. The former five-star recruit's off-balance floater didn't fall, extending the night by at least five minutes.
Arkansas and Texas Tech effectively traded scores or stops for the first two and a half minutes of overtime. Davis was then swatted on a drive to the rim and Toppin followed with a score in the paint to nudge Texas Tech ahead 81-78 with 1:41 left.
No one could catch their breath, still. Brazile stepped into a top-of-key 3-pointer out of a timeout to tie it at 81-81. Toppin answered with a hook in the lane. Wagner made an impossible shot in the lane. Williams then backed down toward the rim and effectively willed a shot to go down. When Wagner's jumper at the horn came up short, it was Texas Tech — not Arkansas — ending an Elite Eight absence a half a dozen years long and doing so with the second-biggest comeback ever in a Sweet 16 game.
(Photo of Darrion Williams: Eakin Howard / Imagn Images)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mwenentanda eager for opportunity with Vanderbilt
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda is a former Washington high school standout, who just made a run to the Final Four with Texas. Now, she's on the move to another SEC School. Ndjakalenga played three season with the Texas Longhorns, appearing in 37 games this past year as a junior. She started in 15 games, including the Final Four contest against South Carolina. 'I love Texas and I got what I needed out of Texas. I got my degree,' Mwenentanda said. 'I just wanted something different.' Mwenentanda entered the transfer portal following her junior season. 35 teams reached out to her, but she had to picky, knowing she has just one year of eligibility left. 'Being a part of some rebuilding process wouldn't have allowed me enough time. I had to look at the options that were the best fit for me, as far as teams that were a little bit more established,' Mwenentanda said. Another factor in Ndjakalenga's decision was the ability to help fill her goals, which include playing basketball beyond college. 'The goal is to play pro basketball and that's why I entered to portal, to see where I can best take that stepping stone to achieve my goal of playing basketball,' Mwenentanda said. Her decision brought her to the Music City of Nashville, becoming the newest player for Vanderbilt. 'There are a lot of girls on the team that want to go pro. I know, being in a final four atmosphere, you've got to have everybody that really wants it,' Mwenentanda said. 'Those who are willing to sacrifice and put time towards the same goal.' While Ndjakalenga is taking her talents to Vandy, her heart will always be in South Dakota, a state providing plenty of support for the Sioux Falls native. 'I grew up in Sioux Falls and I've still got friends I keep in touch with. I keep in touch with Parish over at Washington as well,' Mwenentanda said. 'I think Sioux Falls definitely has a permanent place in my heart, because of what it has provided me.' Mwenentanda will make some trips back and forth to Nashville throughout the summer as she gets ready for the basketball season later this year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
7 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Front and center, Brookline boys' volleyball blocks Newton North to clinch trip to Division 1 final
Related : With six blocks and three kills, Gallucci was part of a Brookline brigade in the middle with junior Liam Raybould (nine kills) that helped handle senior Simon Vardeh, who cranked out 18 kills for the No. 4 Tigers (18-6). Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Brookline will take on No. 3 Needham in Friday's state final at Xaverian (6:30 p.m.). Advertisement First-year coach Lexi De La Cruz coaches Vardeh at SMASH Volleyball Club and knew what to expect, calling upon his middles for more after the first set. 'My team fights,' he said. 'I always told them we're Brookline Warriors. Until the other team doesn't get to 25 points, we always have a chance. That's been our motto the whole season, and I think they live up to it.' Senior Kris Vaivars (24 kills) increased the intensity, with junior Amir Tomer (10 kills, 1 block) and Conor Christopher (6 kills, 1 block) also finishing points at the net. Advertisement De La Cruz called upon Vaivars to close out the match, and he delivered five of his kills in Brookline's final eight points. 'I think that everyone in the front row did a great job, whether we were blocking them straight down, getting touches, setting up a good block, forcing them to tip,' Vaivars said. 'That made a huge difference. Once we were able to get that stop or get that dig, we were able to score a lot of easy transition points and I think that's the difference maker.' Junior Alec Smagula dished 47 assists, but also extended the first set with a block and showed his abilities with three kills in the first two sets. When the Tigers had to put up a block opposite him, he pushed the ball to the pins where lanes were open. 'I could have dumped more, but my team is so strong,' he said. 'I have so many weapons that I want to give the balls to my guys . . . but they still know I'm a threat. When I show them that early, get them jumping, it's one of my favorite things.' North played a terrific season despite graduating some of the state's best players and enduring injuries leading up to the playoffs. 'It was a really good season. A lot of kids got better,' said North coach Nile Fox. 'We went through a few things, but we were able to come back and make it to the Final Four. We didn't get to where we wanted to be, but it was a good season.' Needham 3, Natick 1 — Seeded third in the bracket, the Rockets (22-5) played with the poise and fury of a confident group in its semifinal win against Bay State Conference rival Natick (19-4), the No. 2 seed. Advertisement Junior Andrew Kurdziel delivered 10 kills, 3 aces, 3 digs, 2 blocks and classmate Matty Cloonan had 14 kills, 5 digs, and 1 ace as the Rockets dominated from the first serve, taking the first two sets, 25-14 and 25-14, on their way to victory at Concord-Carlisle, the program's fifth straight trip to the state final. 'It just lit a fire in us,' Cloonan said. 'People didn't think we were going to win, and that just fueled us.' Down 2-0, and with the season on the line, Natick (19-4) held its own against the Rockets (22-5) to win the third set 25-19. Branch Barnes and Cody Gibendi combined for 20 kills, 1 ace, and two blocks. But it wasn't long until the Rockets added fuel to their engine, pulling ahead ahead midway through the fourth set and win 25-14 once again. 'No one wants to go to a fifth set,' Needham coach Dave Powell said. 'There was a sense of urgency from our guys and [we played] some crisp volleyball.' For Natick, the loss was devastating. Acting coach Brendan Carroll described the team's wins over No. 1 Brookline and No. 4 Needham during the regular season as 'null and void.' 'But, to get back to this point after last year, [losing] against Newton North, it was a big, big difference,' he said. 'So, I'm proud of the boys for how they fought all season.' Kurdziel earned the final kill that punched the Rockets' ticket to the final. Advertisement 'It feels amazing,' he said. 'Natick's a great team, but we were prepared for them. We used all of our resources, so we came in here and did what we knew we could do.' Division 2 State Wayland 3, Westfield 1 — With the Warriors ahead, 2-0, senior Liam Frenzel had a flashback to last year's final, when Westfield pulled off a reverse sweep to stun Wayland. In the rematch, Westfield again charged back to claim the third set, but third-seeded Wayland (16-8) slammed the door in the fourth set en route to a 25-23, 25-19, 18-25, 25-18 triumph at Worcester North. Wayland will play top-seeded Agawam in the state final Thursday at Shrewsbury High (6:30 p.m.). Junior standout Finn Bell powered the Warriors with 27 kills and five digs, and seniors Cooper Szeremeta (8 kills, 3 digs) and Liam Frenzel (22 digs, 1 ace) also provided key supporting efforts. 'We came into it knowing [Westfield] had the heart and the firepower from last year,' Frenzel said. 'Knowing we won the first two sets last year too, but then they came back, we knew that we had to just put the pedal out to the floor.' A key sequence came in the opening set, after Westfield racked up straight points to take a 23-19 lead before Wayland won six straight points on the serve of sophomore Mason Lee to close out the frame. Despite stumbling in the third set, Wayland returned with energy in the fourth and received key blocks from both freshman Alex Pearlman and junior Max Walsh to regain momentum. 'We luckily get to play a really tough schedule throughout the season, and I think that really helps prepare us,' George said. 'We get used to getting hit in the face and coming right back out and getting after it.' Advertisement Alexa Podalsky also reported from Concord-Carlisle. Alexa Podalsky can be reached at
Boston Globe
8 hours ago
- Boston Globe
For the first time in 35 years, Concord-Carlisle girls' lacrosse will play for a Division 1 girls' lacrosse title
Concord-Carslisle's Karleigh Mutch was pumped after scoring one of her four goals. Winslow Townson for The Boston Globe Denver-bound senior Karleigh Mutch added four goals and Teagan Morrissey netted two for the top-seeded Patriots (22-2), who are one win from the first state title in team history. It happened to be Mirak's night, but the beauty of the Concord-Carlisle roster is that it can be anyone in a given game. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Related : Advertisement Junior Madelyn Callahan paced the No. 4 Lions (18-5) with two goals, and Merrimack-bound senior Jill Martin was sharp, but the Patriots simply had too much firepower. 'There's no ego anywhere on this team,' said Concord-Carlisle coach Erin Cash. 'They all just want to be successful. They want each other to be successful. They want the program to be successful. They're willing to do whatever they need to do in order for that to happen.' Concord-Carslisle defenders Lindsay Cain (10), Scarlett Mirak (6), and Karleigh Mutch (22) knock the ball away from Chelmsford's Jill Martin. Winslow Townson for The Boston Globe The Patriots won each of the first two quarters by a 5-2 score, taking a commanding 10-4 edge into the break. Concord-Carlisle, which has won 14 straight, leaned on a heavy dose of Mirak and Mutch. Related : Advertisement Mirak got just about wherever she wanted, consistently slithering past the Lions and delivering in one fluid swoop. Morrissey and Alissa Bono orchestrated a strong defensive effort for the Patriots, who played the game on their terms. 'They don't ever let up,' Cash said. 'They don't let up on the field. They don't let up at practice. They always want to know they can get better. They're really good at taking feedback.' Related : It was another successful year for the Lions, who advanced to their first semifinal since 2021 before running into a buzzsaw. 'Nobody expected us to get here,' said Chelmsford coach Ashley Rokas. 'Making it to the Final Four is phenomenal for our program.' Concord-Carslisle's Scarlett Mirak (right) was fired up after scoring one of her game-high five goals. Winslow Townson for The Boston G Concord-Carslisle coach Erin Cash calls out to her players during their Division 1 semifinal win over Chelmsford. Winslow Townson for The Boston Globe Jill Martin scored for Chelmsford. Winslow Townson for The Boston Globe Concord-Carslisle's Scarlett Mirak used lessons learned playing with her three older sisters to help the Patriots reach their first Division 1 semifinal since 1990. Winslow Townson for The Boston Globe Trevor Hass can be reached at
