Texas Tech uses defense and Culver’s late heroics to defeat Michigan State, reach NCAA title game

MINNEAPOLIS – The defense of Texas Tech has been otherworldly all season and it has continued to step up in the NCAA Tournament, getting the Red Raiders to the brink of the national championship.

Tech limited Michigan State, a team making its eighth appearance in the Final Four under coach Tom Izzo, to 31.9 percent shooting from the field and controlled Spartans point guard Cassius Winston in capturing a 61-51 national semifinal victory before a crowd of 72,711 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Playing in their first Final Four, the Red Raiders (31-6) earned the right to play for the national championship Monday night against Virginia. The top-seeded Cavaliers (34-3) used three free throws by Kyle Guy with less than a second remaining to defeat Auburn, 63-62, in the other semifinal.

Texas Tech held the Spartans (32-7) scoreless for the final 2 minutes, 54 seconds of the game after Michigan State had chipped a 13-point deficit down to one, 52-51, on Aaron Henry’s layup. That was the only field goal made by the Spartans in the final 7:59.

Winston, State’s best player and floor leader, scored a team-high 16 points but shot just 4-of-16.

“When we knew Michigan State was the team that we were playing, I told our guys the objective is not to out-tough Michigan State,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. “That’s not going to happen. We’re going to try to equal their toughness. We’re going to try to compete in this game against Michigan State, one of the toughest teams in college basketball.

“The thing I’m most proud of is I thought for 40 minutes we went shot for shot with one of the all-time greats in college basketball, Michigan State.”

In five NCAA Tournament games, the Red Raiders are allowing 55.8 points per contest. Michigan State was held to a season low for points. Its previous low was 62.

“In general, the tougher team won,” Izzo said. “Give them credit. I really appreciate how hard his guys played. My guys hung in there but our two seniors (Matt McQuaid, Kenny Goins) struggled tonight. They gave us so many great moments but tonight wasn’t one of them.”

On Tech’s offensive end, graduate transfer Matt Mooney matched a season high with 22 points, 13 coming in the second half when the Red Raiders shot 56 percent from the field.

Jarrett Culver, the Red Raiders’ top scorer with an 18.9-point average entering the game, struggled for much of the night but came to life over that final stretch, scoring seven of his team’s final nine points.

“We’ve been there a couple of times this year, teams have come back and made runs,” Mooney said. “Playing in the Big 12 is a great experience for moments like that. You can’t quite replicate the Final Four atmosphere and stuff like that, but we played a tough schedule in one of the best leagues in the country that got us ready for that moment.”

Mooney’s three-ball gave the Red Raiders their largest lead of the game at 13, 48-35, with 9:40 to play. Trailing 50-38, Michigan State started tightening up its defense, holding Texas Tech to just one basket on its next seven possessions. The Spartans got a three-pointer from Xavier Tillman and six straight free throws – four by Winston and two by Tillman – to close the gap to 52-47 with 5:38 to play.

Although Nick Ward missed the front end of a 1-and-1 on the next Spartan trip, Henry connected for two foul shots and then drove in for a layup to make it a one-point game and complete an 8-0 run during which Tech didn’t score for 4:43.

But the Spartans would get no closer as Culver took over. He hit a runner, just his second basket of the game. After Matt McQuaid missed a wide-open three from the corner that would have tied the game, Culver deposited one free throw and a three-point basket to grow the lead to seven.

Culver, who went 0-of-6 and scored one point in the first half, finished with 10.

“I was taking the shots I always take,” Culver said. “They just went in in the second half. I kept shooting with confidence and they just went in.”

Beard conceded it wasn’t “one of my better (first) halves coaching offensively” with Culver.

“I just told him to stay the course and trust his teammates,” he said. “He’s got guys out there that are ready to hit shots and guys that are out there to relieve the pressure.”