Arkansas’ late surge wasn’t enough to overcome Texas Tech’s hot shooting Saturday night.

With a chance to tie the game, Keyshawn Embery-Simpson turned the ball over with 6.3 seconds left to help the No. 14 Red Raiders secure a 67-64 win over the Razorbacks in Lubbock, Texas, and clinch the Big 12/SEC Challenge for the Big 12.

It was a 10-point game with 5:26 remaining, but Arkansas slowly chipped away at that margin by holding Texas Tech without a field goal over the final seven minutes.

When star Jarrett Culver missed a free throw with 32 seconds left, Daniel Gafford pulled down the rebound and head coach Mike Anderson called a timeout to draw up a play. However, the Red Raiders’ NCAA-leading defense stiffened and didn’t allow the Razorbacks to get a look at a potential game-tying shot, with Culver forcing the Embery-Simpson turnover.

Ultimately, Arkansas couldn’t dig out of the hole created by one of Texas Tech’s best offensive nights of the season.

The Red Raiders were shooting about 60 percent from the floor midway through the second half and finished the game at 51.2 percent, their best against a major conference team this season. They also made 10 of 19 (52.6 percent) shots beyond the arc, which is well above their season average of 33.2 percent.

Many of the shots Texas Tech made came late in the shot clock and were highly contested by the Razorbacks, who forced 21 turnovers. That is the second most turnovers by the Red Raiders this season, behind their 24 against Duke.

The first half was particularly frustrating for Arkansas. It forced 15 turnovers, but turned them into only 17 points and Texas Tech made 55 percent of its shots when it held on to the ball. Because of that, the Razorbacks needed a running three-pointer by Jalen Harris to take a three-point lead into halftime.

That lead lasted only about three minutes into the second half before the Red Raiders heated up and made eight of their first 11 shots in the half.

Davide Moretti and Culver were the go-to guys for Texas Tech, finishing with 21 and 15 points, respectively, on a combined 7-of-11 shooting from three-point range. It was a career high for Moretti, while Matt Mooney also contributed 12 points.

After scoring only two points in seven minutes in the first half because of early foul trouble, Gafford led the Razorbacks with 14 points on a perfect 6 of 6 shooting from the floor. He pulled down only five rebounds, though, for his lowest total in 14 games.

The only other Razorbacks in double figures were Harris and Mason Jones, who scored 11 points apiece. As a team, Arkansas shot 43.8 percent, which is better than the NCAA-leading 35.3 percent Texas Tech had been holding opponents.

The loss drops Arkansas to 11-8 overall, with six of the defeats coming down to the final minute. It returns to SEC play Tuesday against Georgia. Tipoff at Bud Walton Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPNU.

BOX SCORE

SUBSCRIBE to HawgBeat and get access to exclusive prospect interviews, the best recruiting network in the industry, inside scoops on recruiting and team news, videos, podcasts and much more.

Join the discussion on THE TROUGH, the Arkansas Rivals premium message board for thousands of Hog fans.