Texas Tech tips West Virginia 71-69 in Big 12

GETTY: Big 12 game 1 Texas Tech West Virginia

West Virginia Mountaineers players react as the Texas Tech Red Raiders defeat the Mountaineers 71-69 to win the first round game of the 2013 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship at Sprint Center on March 13, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Photographer: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
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Posted: 03/13/2013

By: Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Dejan Kravic rebounded Texas Tech's desperation shot and dropped it into the bucket just ahead of the buzzer, lifting Texas Tech over West Virginia 71-69 in the opening round Wednesday night of the Big 12 tournament.

The Red Raiders (11-19), who lost twice to West Virginia in the regular season, gave up a 14-point lead in the first half but managed to hold on for only their second victory all year away from home.

Texas Tech will meet the regular-season champion, No. 7 Kansas (26-5), in Thursday's quarterfinals.

Jaye Crockett's 18 points led Texas Tech, which had lost 11 of its last 12.

West Virginia (13-19) ended its first season in the Big 12 on a seven-game losing skid, again denying coach Bob Huggins the victory he's been needing to tie Ray Meyer for 18th on the all-time Division I winning list. Terry Henderson had 12 points for the Mountaineers.