The game appeared decided until Colorado's second-half rally revived their chances down 24 points. Barrington Hargress missed a 25-foot three point attempt for the win as time expired, dropping the Buffs to 2-1 in conference play.
Three takeaways from Colorado's loss to Texas Tech
Lost the rebounding battle
Colorado needed to limit this factor in order to have a chance on Saturday.
JT Toppin and LeJuan Watts dominated the boards for the Red Raiders, hauling down 24 of the teams 46 rebounds.
Texas Tech finished with a +10 margin in the rebounding category.
Toppin continues to be a double-double machine for Texas Tech, scoring 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 13 rebounds, four assists and one block.
Jaylen Petty added nine rebounds of his own in 35 minutes of action.
Bangot Dak recorded a team-high 13 rebounds in the losing effort for Colorado.
Donovan Atwell was a gamechanger
While Colorado had game-planned for the offensive threats posed by Christian Anderson and JT Toppin, it was Donovan Atwell who emerged as the x-factor, adding 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
Saturday night saw the senior guard heating up from downtown, connecting on five of their 13 makes from three-point territory.
Anderson connected on two three-pointers in the win.
Monster second half from Isaiah
Colorado's true freshman point guard scored all 21 of his points in the second half, giving Colorado a much-needed scoring boost.
Despite shooting just 3-of-11 from the field, he managed to go a perfect 13-of-13 from the charity stripe.
The Buffs tightened the contest when Sebastian Rancik's corner three reduced the lead to two with under 42 seconds left in the game.
Colorado junior guard Barrington Hargress added 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, collecting two rebounds and four assists.