Texas Tech knocks off No. 3 Oklahoma 65-63

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) Toddrick Gotcher admitted he might have traveled after one of his Texas Tech teammates got him the rebound off Oklahoma's last shot in the

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) Toddrick Gotcher admitted he might have traveled after one of his Texas Tech teammates got him the rebound off Oklahoma's last shot in the Red Raiders' 65-63 victory over the third-ranked Sooners on Wednesday night.

''I think I picked the ball up and started running before the time was out, but I don't know,'' said the senior guard who hit a key 3-pointer down the stretch. ''Then I seen a big black wave of people. That was the best feeling in the world. And I'll never forget it for the rest of my life.''

Fans swarmed the floor when the game ended.

Aaron Ross scored 17 points and Keenan Evans added 14 points to help Texas Tech to its third straight victory over a Top 25 team.

Evans hit three free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal it for Texas Tech (16-9, 6-7 Big 12). The Red Raiders had never beaten three Top 25 teams in a row.

Texas Tech's bench was the key, getting 25 points to seven for the Sooners' backups.

Jordan Woodard scored 25 points, and Buddy Hield added 16 for the Sooners (20-5, 8-5)

The game was tied 14 times and there were 15 lead changes.

The Red Raiders outhustled the Sooners for loose balls and rebounds. They also got 14 points off OU's 11 turnovers and had 11 second-chance points to four for the Sooners.

''We've learned from our experiences with close games,'' Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith said. ''The poise that you have to have. That's what is impressive at this point. We're playing with patience. With poise. We're not panicking. And we're aggressively getting to the glass.''

The Sooners went up 61-57 on free throws by Woodard with 2:45 remaining, but Gotcher's 3-pointer made it 61-60. Isaiah Cousins turned the ball over and Evans scored on a layup before Hield shot a rare air ball. Evans then hit two of his final three free throws, and Woodard scored on a layup with 21 seconds left to cut it to 64-63. Evans then hit his third free throw. On its final play, OU's Ryan Spangler missed a layup.

Oklahoma beat the Red Raiders 91-67 in Norman, Oklahoma, in January. Sooners coach Lon Kruger sees how far the Red Raiders have come.

''They've made steady progress,'' he said. ''Tubby has done a great job. Their confidence level is really high. They're playing with purpose, playing well together, guarding like crazy, doing a terrific job.''

Texas Tech had the hotter hand in the first half, hitting on 48 percent from the field to lead Oklahoma 34-31 at halftime. Hield hit 3 of 5 from 3-point range during the first 10 minutes but was held to two points the rest of the way. Neither inside men for OU had any points at the break.

RED RAIDERS TIDE TURNING VS OU?

Texas Tech had lost four of its last five meetings with Oklahoma entering Wednesday. Its last win against the Sooners before Wednesday's game came on Feb. 12, 2014.

TIP INS

Oklahoma: The Sooners entered the game ranking first nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.443). Oklahoma's record for a season is .414 during the 1986-87 season. Oklahoma has hit at least 10 3-pointers in at 16 of 24 games entering Wednesday. The Sooners hit only 6 of 23 against the Red Raiders, or 26.1 percent. They missed all nine attempts in the second half

Texas Tech: Texas Tech's recent wins over Iowa State and Baylor marked the first time since 2007 that it beat AP Top 25 teams in consecutive games. The last time was against No. 5 Kansas on Jan. 20, 2007, and No. 6 Texas A&M on Jan. 24, 2007.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma travels to West Virginia on Saturday

Texas Tech travels to Oklahoma State on Saturday.