While there was plenty of offense, Texas Tech’s defense was what turned the tide in a 102-80 triumph over visiting Oklahoma State on Saturday as the teams opened the Big 12 Conference season in Lubbock, Texas.
Balanced scoring and 21 assists on 37 made shots were keys for Texas Tech (11-3, 1-0), and J.T. Toppin helped his team control the backboards 48-36.
The Cowboys came into the league campaign as the second-best scoring offense in the Big 12 but it was the Red Raiders who notched their highest scoring output this season.
All five Red Raider starters finished in double figures, with Toppin leading the way with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Christian Anderson logged a double-double with 19 points and a career-best 13 assists and LeJuan Watts also scored 19 and grabbed 9 boards.
Anthony Roy topped the Cowboys (12-2, 0-1) with 22 points, and big man Parsa Fallah chimed in with 20. Those two combined to hit 14 of 22 field goals — Roy was 6 of 8 from 3-point range — but Oklahoma State struggled to get much from anybody else in a fifth straight loss to the Red Raiders.
Besides Roy and Fallah, the other Cowboys struggled to hit shots, finishing a combined 15-of-45. They missed 12 of their first 17 attempts in the second half.
Down 46-38 at halftime after erasing half of a 16-point deficit, OSU struggled to get untracked after halftime with only one point in the opening 4 1/2 minutes. That allowed Texas Tech to grab control, with 53.8 percent shooting as the fuel.
The Red Raiders were hot from outside the 3-point arc most of the day and finished 17-for-37 from deep. OSU never found its rhythm in that department and was 8-for-26 — everybody but Roy finished 2-for-18.
Texas Tech steadily built an early lead and was in cruise control, up 35-19 on Donovan Atwell’s 3-pointer with 6:23 left before halftime.
But Roy buried a 3 moments later to trigger a 10-0 Cowboy run that provided a glimmer of hope that faded quickly in the second half.
