Red Raider Report | Game 2

LUBBOCK – Texas Tech will host Northwestern State at 8 p.m. on Friday at United Supermarkets Arena after putting on a sharpshooting display where the team matched a 3-point program record with 16 in a 94-61 win over Bethune-Cookman during Tuesday’s season opener. All five starters scored in double figures in the win, led by Kerwin Walton’s 21 points, JT Toppin going for 19 points and Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams finishing with 17 points each. Kevin Overton added 10 for the Red Raiders who used a 17-0 run to build a 50-28 lead going into halftime and finished the game shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 16-for-30 (53.3 percent) from deep.

Tech owns a 7-0 all-time advantage over Northwestern State with all seven wins coming at home. The Red Raiders rolled to a 73-49 win in the season-opener of the 2022-23 season in the most recent matchup against the Louisiana school. The Demons are coming off a 96-55 win over Dallas Christian on Monday night in its season opener after they went 9-23 overall, including a 7-11 record within Southland Conference play last season. Tech continues its four-game homestand to begin the season against Wyoming (Nov. 13) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 18) before traveling to Brooklyn for two games at the Legends Classic on November 21 and 22 in Barclays Center.

Grant McCasland improved to 235-100 in his career with the win and is now 24-11 overall and 16-2 at home leading the Red Raiders who have won 25 straight season openers as a program. McCasland’s roster has 14 players on it this season, including three fifth-year seniors (Devan Cambridge, McMillian, Walton), two seniors (Elijah Hawkins, Federiko Federiko), three juniors (Jack Francis, Corbin Green, Williams), three sophomores (Overton, Toppin, Eemeli Yalaho) and three freshmen (Christian Anderson, Jazz Henderson, Leon Horner). Five players made their Tech debuts against Bethune-Cookman, including Toppin, Overton, Federiko, Green and Horner. The Red Raiders were without Anderson, Hawkins, Henderson and Yalaho due to injury in the opener.

Tech’s 16 3-pointers matched the program record that was most recently accomplished against Kansas back on February 23, 2019 and also against UNC-Asheville (2004) and New Mexico State (1996)… The Red Raiders finished last season with 11 games of 10 or more 3s, including a season-high 15 against Sam Houston and then making 14 at TCU in Big 12 play…Texas Tech was second in the Big 12 last season by shooting 35.9 percent on 3-pointers and third with 8.5 made per game… Last season, Tech led the Big 12 at the free-throw line shooting 78.0 percent and are coming off a season opener where it went 6-for-10… The Red Raiders dominated the glass with a 44-21 rebounding advantage with Toppin having eight rebounds and Cambridge grabbing seven… The 94 points were the most in a season opener since a 101-58 win over Northwestern State in the 2020-21 season and was the fourth time over 90 under McCasland.

Walton made a career-high seven 3-pointers and led the Red Raiders with 21 points in the season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday night. It was his second career game with 20 or more points only being surpassed by his career-best 22-point performance last season against Omaha. Walton went 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) on 3-pointers in his 121st career game. He is the longest tenured Red Raider in his third season in the program and fifth as a collegiate player who now has 741 points and 176 made 3-pointers in his career. A Minnesota native, Walton is coming off a senior season where he averaged 8.5 points per game and finished 65-for-136 (47.8 percent) from beyond the arc. His percentage was second nationally and second in program history. He scored a career-high 22 points in a non-conference win over Omaha where he was 6-for-7 on 3-pointers and 8-for-9 from the field. In Big 12 play, Walton started all 18 games last season with a pair of 18-point scoring performances in road games at Houston and UCF. He finished the season with 11 double-figure scoring performances with 12 points against BYU in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal win in Kansas City. He had eight games with three or more 3s, with a 3-for-4 outing against NC State in the NCAA Tournament First Round being the final one. Walton is now 176-for-407 (43.2 percent) in his career beyond the arc. Starting his career with two seasons at North Carolina, Walton has now played 61 games with 34 starts at Tech where he is 95-for-204 (46.6 percent) on 3s.

Williams started his junior season off with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists in the win over Bethune-Cookman. He was 7-for-12 from the field, including going 2-for-4 on 3-pointers. He’s now at 645 points and 494 rebounds through 67 career games and will be coming off his second most assists in a game (only surpassed by a seven-assist performance as a freshman against Air Force). Williams is the leading returner with 11.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and nine double-doubles after a sophomore season where he earned All-Big 12 Third Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team honors. He made 33 starts last season, scoring in double-figures in 19, including a program-best performance where he went 12-for-12 from the field and scored 30 points in a 79-50 home win over No. 6 Kansas. A California native who played his freshman season at Nevada, he finished his first season at Tech shooting 131-for-265 (49.4 percent) from the field and 44-for-96 (45.8 percent) on 3-pointers along with providing 82 assists, 38 steals and 11 blocked shots. In Big 12 play, Williams averaged 13.1 points per game and was 23-for-44 on 3-pointers which is the second best in program history for percentage at a 52.3 percent. He established a career-high with 14 rebounds in a non-conference win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and had his ninth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Baylor in the regular-season finale. His 19th double-figure scoring performance came with 10 points against NC State in the NCAA Tournament.

McMillian drilled four 3-pointers and went off for 17 points, five assists and five rebounds in the season opener. He was 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) from beyond the arc in the game and was only one assist shy of matching his career-high. He enters his second game of his second season at Texas Tech with 1,044 points, 193 assists, 78 steals, 366 rebounds and 49 double-figure scoring performances. McMillian averaged 10.8 points per game and was 65-for-168 (38.7 percent) on 3-pointers in his first season as a Red Raider where he recorded 18 double-figure scoring performances that included a career-high 27 points at Oklahoma where he went 6-for-8 on 3-pointers. A California native, he scored 17 points in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal win over BYU and had 15 points against Houston in the semifinals. McMillian was selected as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week twice during the season, the first time against going off for 24 points at Butler where he went 8-for-10 on 3-pointers. He finished the year 40-for-44 at the free-throw line, including going 26-for-28 in conference play.

Toppin showed why he is on the Karl Malone Award Watch List and was one of the top gets out of the transfer portal by going for 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in his Texas Tech debut on Tuesday. He was 8-for-12 from the field, including making one 3-pointer. Toppin transferred to Tech after being named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year last season following a freshman season at New Mexico where he averaged 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds. He also provided 68 blocked shots, 38 steals and recorded 12 double-doubles which was tied for the 38th most in the nation. A Dallas native, Toppin returns to his home state after a season where he recorded 23 double-figure scoring performances in 35 games. His first career double-double came with 15 points and 10 rebounds against UT Arlington and was highlighted by him going for a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds against Toledo. Averaging 1.9 blocks per game, he had a career-best five blocks in games against San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV. He also had 25 points and 13 rebounds at Air Force and 21 points at Boise State. His 12th double-double of the season came with him going off for 13 points and 11 rebounds against San Diego State in the MWC tournament. Toppin finished his first collegiate season going 193-for-310 (62.3 percent) from the field with 11 3-pointers. He was ranked No. 12 in ESPN’s transfer rankings and was the third-best transfer still available when he signed on May 28.

Overton scored 10 points for his 20th double-figure scoring performance of his career from the starting lineup in his Red Raider debut with one 3-pointer. He joined the Texas Tech program this season after a freshman year at Drake where he provided 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists as a starter in 35 games (29.9 minutes per game). An Oklahoma City native, he scored in double figures in 19 games with a career-high 23 points coming against Murray State in his freshman season. Overton finished his first collegiate season shooting 62-for-179 on 3-pointers and contributed 21 steals. He scored 20 or more points in three games with 22 against Oakland and 21 against Saint Louis before his 23-point performance against Murray State where he was 8-for-11 from the field with five 3-pointers. Overton played one prep season at Sunrise Christian before beginning his collegiate career. He has 404 points and 119 rebounds in his collegiate career.

Cambridge made his return from an injury-shortened season by contributing seven rebounds and five points in just over 21 minutes of time on the court. He has now recorded 988 career points, 522 rebounds and 71 blocked shots through 136 games. A starter in the first eight games last season, Cambridge suffered a lower body injury that forced him out the remainder of the season. He was averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first season at Texas Tech before the injury, including a season-best 17 points in a win over Michigan in the Bahamas and going for 16 points at Butler. His injury occurred at home against Omaha where he had nine points in 18 minutes. Cambridge began his career by playing three seasons at Auburn before playing the 2022-23 season at Arizona State where he averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 36 games played (35 starts). A Tennessee native, he is now 362-for-825 from the field for his career which includes going 1-for-1 on 3-point attempts this season and making 117 overall.

Hawkins is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List after he transferred to Texas Tech as a senior having already produced 1,077 points, 588 assists and 169 steals through 92 games in his career. He missed the season opener with a lower body injury. A Washington, D.C. native, Hawkins was second nationally last season with 7.5 assists per game at Minnesota where he also averaged 9.5 points and had six double-doubles as an All-Big 10 honorable mention selection. Hawkins scored a career-high 24 points against Ohio State and had a 17-assist performance against IU Indy in a non-conference win. For his career, Hawkins is 134-for-357 (37.5 percent) on 3-pointers and has made 265 free throws. He began his collegiate career with two seasons at Howard before playing one at Minnesota. Last season, he had eight games with double-figure assists, including dishing out 15 assists and scoring 11 points in a win over Butler in the NIT and also having double-doubles against Nebraska (12p/11a), Maine (12p/10a), Northwestern (13p/10a) at home, Illinois (12a/10p) and at Northwestern (14p/10a). Last season, Hawkins opened his season at Minnesota with an 80-60 win over Bethune-Cookman with 10 points, two steals and an assist.

Federiko provided five rebounds, one blocked shot and five points after going 2-for-2 from the field in his Texas Tech debut in the opener. He is a senior who is in his first and final season at Texas Tech following two years at Pitt. A Finland native, Federiko is coming off a season where he averaged 4.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and had 43 blocked shots as a starter in 26 games. He had a career-high 22 points against North Florida last season and finished with eight games in double-figure scoring as a sophomore and two last season. In 2022-23, he went for 13 points and eight points at Florida State and produced his only double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds against Sacred Heart. Last season, he had a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks against North Carolina A&T. As a sophomore, Federiko recorded 18 games with two or more blocks, including having four blocks in games against Miami, Vanderbilt and North Carolina before having six games with three or more blocks last season. Federiko was a NJCAA All-America as a freshman at Northern Oklahoma. He now has 393 points, 362 rebounds and 102 blocks through 69 games at the NCAA level.

Yalaho missed the season opener with a lower body injury. He enters his sophomore season after playing in 17 games last season as a freshman, including scoring a career-high 10 points against Houston in the Big 12 Championship semifinals. A Finland native, Yalaho was 16-for-33 from the field and averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He had a career-best six rebounds at UCF where he also had eight points. Against Houston in Kansas City, Yalaho scored in double figures for the first time in his career after he also provided seven points and three rebounds in the regular-season finale win over Baylor. Over the summer, Yalaho returned to Finland where he participated in workouts with his national team.

Corbin Green played two minutes in the season opener after he joined the Texas Tech program as a walk-on in September. He played the previous two seasons at Air Force. A Midlothian native, Green returned to his home state having played in 36 career games and produced 46 blocked shots. As a freshman in the 2022-23 season, Green started 12 games and played in 24 at Air Force where he averaged 6.5 points and had 34 blocks. Last season, he played in 12 games where he averaged 2.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and had 12 blocked shots. His career-best came with 17 points and 12 rebounds against USC Update on November 21, 2022. Green is a junior with two years of eligibility remaining.

Francis played two minutes in the season opener, making his sixth appearance on the court as a Red Raider. He is a walk-on who played in five games last season for the Red Raiders. He scored his first career points with a pair of free throws against Sam Houston in a non-conference win and had two rebounds against Kansas and Oklahoma State in Big 12 play. An Austin native, Francis was a practice player during the 2022-23 season before earning a spot on the roster. He was a 1,000-point scorer at Anderson High School.

Anderson missed the season opener with a lower body injury. He signed with Texas Tech on May 21 as a four-star recruit following one season at Oak Hill Academy where he averaged 19.1 points and 4.6 assists per game. Originally a Michigan signee, Anderson opened his recruitment and joined the Red Raiders who he practiced with in June before going overseas in July to lead Germany to the 2024 FIBA U18 Eurobasket Championship this season. He averaged 20.3 points and 5.0 assists per game in the tournament, including going off for 31 points and five assists in the finals against Serbia. An Atlanta, Georgia native, Anderson played at The Lovett School where he averaged 23.7 points in his high school career with 2,038 points. As a junior The Lovett School, before Oak Hill, Anderson averaged 26.1 points and 4.1 assists with three games of 40 or more points.

Horner made his collegiate debut on Tuesday night with two minutes of playing time. He is a freshman who joined the Texas Tech program after playing at Dynamic Prep and Frisco Memorial. As a senior at Dynamic Prep, Horner averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and helped the program to the Texas Christian Athletic League 6A State Championship. He earned T-CAL All-State Second Team honors. At Frisco Memorial, Horner was a three-time all-district selection who had 889 points, 419 rebounds and 121 assists in three seasons.

Henderson will be out of action for an extended period as he recovers from a lower body injury. He joined the program as a walk-on this season after being a three-time state champion at Oak Cliff Faith Family in high school. A Dallas native, he averaged 14 points and 7 assists as a senior after going for 10 points and 7 assists as a junior.

Release provided by Wes Bloomquist Texas Tech Athletics