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LUBBOCK, Texas -- Forced into the starting lineup after Zach Smith twisted his ankle in warmups, junior transfer Niem Stevenson led Texas Tech with a career-high 16 points, five rebounds and three assists in a 87-50 drubbing of the University of Texas-San Antonio Wednesday.Its next man up, Stevenson, a transfer from Kansas Seward County Community College, said. Zach couldnt play this game. Just running the offense. Devon (Thomas) finding people, everybody sharing the ball. They trust me to take them shots.Keenan Evans scored 16 points and teammate Matthew Temple scored a career-high 13 points.Justin Gray and Anthony Livingston finished with 10 points apiece for Texas Tech. Thomas added seven points, six rebounds and six assists.Im probably tougher on Devon than anybody on this team because I know that we gotta get something out of him to kind of have the kind of season we all want to have, Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said of Thomas.Texas San Antonio (2-7) was led by 10 points from Jeff Beverly and eight points apiece from Byron Frohnen and Giovanni De Nicolao.Beverly entered the game averaging 15.8 points per game.We just couldnt get any rhythm going, Texas-San Antonio coach Steve Henson said. Tech does a good job, again, on both ends of the floor. Their defense was good. Obviously, people are paying a lot of attention to Jeff.The Red Raiders, who never trailed, won the points off a turnover margin of 23-8. Texas Tech outrebounded the Roadrunners 36-27.Beard, in his first season as Texas Techs coach, has his team on a five-game winning streak.The Red Raiders only loss came to Auburn on Nov. 22, 67-65.After UTSA was held scoreless for the final three minutes of the first period, Texas Tech led 42-21 at halftime.Entering the game, Texas Tech was No. 4 in the nation in shooting percentage with 52.3 percent. Against the Roadrunners, it finished shooting 52 percent from the floor.BIG PICTURETexas-San Antonio: The Roadrunners, which last won a game on Nov. 25 against Texas State, are in their first season under Henson. Henson is one of 10 Division I mens basketball coaches that have both played and coached in the NBA.Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have thrived even without standout forwards Norense Odiase and Aaron Ross, who are out with lower leg injuries. Smith, a forward who averages 11.3 points per game, was a late scratch after sustaining an injury during warmups.We miss Norense, Beard said. And we miss Ross. Now, tonight, the deal with Zach was just a freaky thing. We just have to get healthy more than anything.UP NEXTTexas-San Antonio hosts Southeastern Oklahoma State Saturday.Texas Tech faces Nicholls State at home on Dec. 14. Art Monk Youth Jersey . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars. Earnest Byner Womens Jersey . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. https://www.redskinssportsgoods.com/Womens-Sonny-Jurgensen-Inverted-Jersey/ . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. Montez Sweat Youth Jersey . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. Derrius Guice Womens Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Every team needs a player for a crisis. For Zimbabwe, Sikandar Raza has often been that player. He bats anywhere from 1 to 7, is as electric and energetic at short cover as he is at deep midwicket and, against West Indies in Bulawayo on Friday, he even opened the bowling, playing an all-round hand in one of Zimbabwean crickets finest come-from-behind wins.Raza seems to score a lot of his runs when others havent, and thrives on pressure. His first international innings of note was an 82 against India in 2013. No one else reached fifty that day. His third ODI ton, against New Zealand in August last year, rescued the team from 68 for 5, with Raza all the way down at No. 7, becoming the only Zimbabwe batsman to score a hundred from that position. Two months later, his busy 60 not out with Nos. 9 and 10 for company marshalled Zimbabwe to a nervous, narrow two-wicket win over Ireland in Harare.Two weeks after that, he was at it again, against Afghanistan. Batting at No. 6, he entered in the 15th over with Zimbabwe rudderless at 45 for 4. He weathered some determined bowling, and a withering blow to the groin, to make 86 when no other batsman reached 30.He has modestly summed up his batting technique as see ball, hit ball, and try to survive, and though he is actually blessed with natural flair, some of his best knocks have been his ugliest, when he has had to restrain the inner fighter pilot - a position he was training for in Pakistan before an eye condition compelled him to make a switch to cricket - and fly a figurative Cessna 172 instead. With Zimbabwe slipping to 89 for 7 against West Indies, today was one of those days, as he ground his way to 76 not out from 103 deliveries, with just three fours.Theres nothing wrong with saying it was an ugly innings - it may have been - but I think thats exactly what we needed, Raza said after Zimbabwes win. The flair will remain there. But you also have to show some responsibility when youve played 60 one-day internationals. I was the only senior guy out there, so in my head all I was thinking was that as long as Im out there with these guys, I can help them to maybe build an innings, and well see what happens in the end. As long as we stay out there, we can give ourselves a fighting chance to win the game.That very thing - a fighting chance to win the game - is something Raza seems to carry with him, whether he is slugging it out with the bat, twirling the ball down, or patrolling extra cover with his magnetic hands. His bowling, which involves as much bluff and belief as it does skill, was not quite as fluent as it could have been against West Indies, but if you were only watching the bowler youd swear every delivery should have brought a wicket. Sharing the new ball with Tendai Chisoro, Raza leaked nine runs in his first over. Hiis second, a maiden full of fizz and vim, was completed in under two minutes.ddddddddddddIn his body language, one finds further clues to his singular enjoyment in the game, whatever the situation. In the field, he holds his head slightly forward, craning his neck as if to wedge himself right into the moment. He can rarely be found standing still. His habit is to take every drink, whether he is holding a bat, or in the field, down on one bended knee. Every achievement and milestone is acknowledged devoutly, with a glance into the heavens.At a sodden Queens Sports Club against West Indies, there were a couple of one-kneed drinks breaks during his record 91-run stand for the 9th wicket with Chisoro. That partnership was the bedrock upon which was built a victory that ranks as one of Zimbabwes unlikeliest. Theyve been in tight spots before, and come back from them. But one struggles to think of another occasion when they have sunk quite so deep into the mire, and managed to resurface in this fashion, rain and all, against a major cricketing nation. When Chisoro was named Man of the Match at the presentation ceremony, Raza was at the front of the Zimbabwe posse, clapping and cheering louder than anyone else. Despite his own top-scoring innings, he insisted that credit goes to TC [Tendai Chisoro] for how he batted out there. He deserves all the credit.Thats another feature of his cricket: he backs his team-mates and revels in their successes, even the minor ones. During the tie against West Indies last weekend, he ran 20 or 30 metres in from his position at long off to shout congratulations and encouragement at Elton Chigumbura, on the other side of the field at deep midwicket, after a good stop.He is also beloved by the fans. When he was placed at deep midwicket during Chris Mpofus spell on Friday afternoon, the all-singing, all-dancing supporters there welcomed him with chants of Raza, Raza, Raza! With a smile and a wave, he acknowledged their warmth.His family loves him too, and likewise there is a clear sense of Razas devotion to them. Ive been short of runs for a long time, he admits. What [this innings and the fifty last weekend] does for me, is maybe give me a bit of confidence. But what really matters is the joy that it brings to others. After all the sleepless nights that mom and dad had, and all those times they were up late at night just to pray for me, because I was going through a rough patch. I can tell you that now they can have early nights at times, and they dont have to worry too much.As long as they have got a player like Raza in their XI, whatever crises and collapses come their way, Zimbabwe should not worry too much either. ' ' '