Lubbock, Texas ? Spurred by coach Marsha Sharp, Texas Tech looked a lot more energetic Tuesday night in beating UC Santa Barbara, 72-68, for a fifth straight trip to the round of 16.

After beating Southwest Missouri State Sunday, Sharp criticized her team’s backcourt play as “lazy.”

There was none of that as Jia Perkins scored 23 points in the second round of the Midwest Regional.

“We couldn’t have won without her making big plays both directions,” Sharp said. “I was proud of her offense, but she did a great job defensively, and we’re going to have to have that from her.”

The second-seeded Raiders (28-5) advanced to play sixth-seeded New Mexico Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M.

“We made plays when we had to,” Sharp said. “We talked about how important that is this time of year, the plays you have to make. I thought we focused better trip after trip, although there were a couple of points where we were a little bit wild.”

Lindsay Taylor had 26 points, 10 above her season average, to lead the seventh-seeded Gauchos (27-5).

Tech led most of the way, but Santa Barbara overcame a 15-point first-half deficit to make it close. The Gauchos tied it on a three-pointer by Jess Hansen with 12:32 remaining, and after that there were three ties and eight lead changes.

“I felt as the game ticked down, the pressure went completely to Texas Tech because they were expected to win at home,” Gauchos coach Mark French said.