Marcus Santos-Silva's block, free throws fuel late-game run, sending No. 12 Texas Tech to Sweet 16
SAN DIEGO — It wasn't the masterpiece like in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 12 Texas Tech men's basketball team, after pouring in a tournament-best 97 points in its previous win, had much more trouble putting the ball in the basket against Notre Dame in a Round of 32 game Sunday afternoon.
And things got tough.
Kevin Obanor did his part, netting 11 points in the first half, but the Red Raider defense was unable to contain the Fighting Irish's three-point shooting that kept things close in the first 20 minutes.
But it was defense, specifically Marcus Santos-Silva netting a key block before he drilled a pair of free throws with 54 seconds —that helped fuel a 10-1 run to end the game and help Texas Tech advance to the Sweet 16 with a 59-53 victory over Notre Dame.
"Once I got fouled, my teammates all told me they had confidence in me. And Davion (Warren) came up and told me to, 'Do it for your dad, do it for your dad,'" Santos-Silva said, alluding to his father Luis who passed away at the age of 51 last April. "And before I shot, I told Davion, 'I got you.' And I did my normal routine."
After Blake Wesley split a pair of free throws to give the Fighting Irish a 52-49 advantage, the Red Raiders realized they needed to make something happen with some aggressive plays on the defensive end and under the basket.
Adonis Arms, who ended with five points and seven rebounds, secured an offensive rebound before draining a pair of free throws to close the gap to one point (52-51) with two minutes left to play.
Obanor, who netted his fifth straight double-double (15 points, 15 rebounds) in the NCAA Tournament, followed suit.
One of those rebounds, Obanor had to steal from the hands of a Notre Dame player before drawing a foul and netting two free throws to tie the game up and provide Texas Tech a 52-51 lead it never relinquished in the final 1:10 off the contest.
Santos-Silva, a left-handed shooter, made both of his free throws with his right, to provide a 55-52 scoring before the Red Raiders claimed the victory.
"Marcus is a veteran," said Texas Tech's Kevin McCullar, who finished with 14 points and recorded a two-handed dunk with about 15 seconds to play. "He's been in big-time games before. He could start on any team in the country right now. He comes off the bench and gives us what we need. He knows his role.
"He's been putting in the work on his free throws. I don't know if you noticed, he shot them with his right hand. That's huge. That's the dedication and work he puts in. That's my brother and roommate. So I'm proud of him."
With the victory over the Fighting Irish (24-11), Texas Tech (27-9) is set to advance to its third Sweet 16 in the last four seasons and face off against Duke on Thursday at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
"I like coach K (Mike Krzyzewski). I'm not that excited," Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said when asked about going up against one of his coaching mentors. "I don't know if anybody is excited about playing Duke. But we're going to take this time to enjoy and be happy about it.
"We'll go back and regroup and be ready this weekend."
In order to advance the Red Raiders went to their identity by attempting to get paint touches as Bryson Williams, who netted 14 points, started off hot before drawing his second foul with his squad holding onto an 8-7 lead with 13:49 left in the first half.
The game shifted as Texas Tech was without its most consistent scorer, who could provide a presence inside the paint and open up lanes when he ventured outside the three-point line.
On the other side of the court, Notre Dame was not able to get much going against a tenacious Red Raider defense.
But, they found success when passing the ball and finding open spots in the corner, and wings for three-pointers.
In fact, Texas Tech appeared to be pulling away — forging a 7-0 run to take a 13-7 lead before Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski swished a pair of triples to knot the game up at 13-13 with 8:33 until halftime.
The Red Raiders forged another 4-0 offensive surge before it was cut in half with Cormac Ryan three-pointer which was the catalyst to a 5-0 run to close the final 1:10.
Notre Dame, which played three games in five days in two different time zones, went into halftime with some positive vibes after Blake Wesley nabbed an offensive rebound and netted a putback as the Fighting Irish trailed 26-25.
The second half was just as back-and-forth before Texas Tech clamped down and Notre Dame was unable to net any 3-pointers.
Dane Goodwin finished with 14 points, while Blake Wesley ended with 11 to lead the Fighting Irish on the offensive end. Notre Dame finished 9-for-28 from the three-point line.
"Great college game. Tournament game," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "I'm proud of our guys. We had our chances. ... And we hung in there, we had our chances. But they made a few more plays. And they're really gifted and they are a great defensive team."
What's next?
Texas Tech advances to the Sweet 16 to face off against Duke set for Thursday at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. A time was yet to be announced by the A-J's local print deadline.
NO. 12 TEXAS TECH 59, NOTRE DAME 53
NOTRE DAME (24-11)
Atkinson 1-4 3-4 5, Goodwin 5-8 1-2 14, Hubb 2-7 0-0 5, Ryan 3-8 1-3 9, Wesley 3-14 5-6 11, Laszewski 1-6 0-0 3, Wertz 2-5 0-0 6. Totals 17-52 10-15 53.
TEXAS TECH (27-9)
Obanor 6-13 2-3 15, Williams 6-14 2-2 14, Arms 1-5 2-2 5, McCullar 4-9 5-6 14, Shannon 1-4 0-2 3, Warren 1-8 0-0 2, Santos-Silva 1-4 2-2 4, Wilson 0-1 0-0 0, Nadolny 1-1 0-0 2, Batcho 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-59 13-17 59.
Halftime_Texas Tech 26-25. 3-Point Goals_Notre Dame 9-28 (Goodwin 3-5, Wertz 2-4, Ryan 2-6, Hubb 1-4, Laszewski 1-5, Wesley 0-4), Texas Tech 4-15 (Arms 1-1, McCullar 1-2, Shannon 1-3, Obanor 1-4, Warren 0-1, Williams 0-4). Fouled Out_McCullar. Rebounds_Notre Dame 34 (Goodwin, Wesley 8), Texas Tech 37 (Obanor 15). Assists_Notre Dame 8 (Hubb, Wesley 3), Texas Tech 10 (Arms 4). Total Fouls_Notre Dame 13, Texas Tech 16.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech basketball beats Notre Dame in NCAA Tournament 2022
