Red Raiders rain 3s in season-opening win
LUBBOCK – Texas Tech made its first five shots and stayed hot throughout the game going on to match its program record with 16 3-pointers in a 94-61 win over Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday in the season opener at United Supermarkets Arena. Kerwin Walton led the Red Raiders with 21 points and established a new career-high with seven 3-pointers while JT Toppin added 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in his debut.
Tech (1-0) finished the game 16-for-30 (53.3 percent) from beyond the arc with Chance McMillian hitting four and scoring 17 points and Darrion Williams making two and completing his night with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists. The Red Raiders went on a 17-0 run to close out the first half with a 50-28 advantage and would notch the 25th straight season-opening victory for the program.
“This group has no problem scoring in spurts,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “I think with all the space that these guys provide for each other it will come down to can we share the ball and keep attacking with paint touches first or do we settle. I love this team. They are so much fun to be around and really love each other. They believe in each other’s ability. It’s a matter of growing and get better where 17-0 runs are more common than playing even.”
Walton was 7-for-12 on 3-pointers in the game and finished just one point shy of his career-high of 22 points he scored last season against Omaha. His seven 3s broke his previous record of six last season in that game against Omaha and on the road against Houston and now has him with 176 in his career. Toppin, a sophomore transfer from New Mexico, made his Tech debut a strong one with his 19 points off an 8-for-12 shooting performance. His four blocks takes his career total to 72 through only 37 games played. Williams led the Red Raiders with his six assists while McMillian had five in a game where Tech had 15 assists on 36 makes. Kevin Overton scored 10 points to have all starters score in double figures and also contributed two steals.
“I don’t think anyone had any doubts coming into the season about our ability to shoot the ball,” McCasland said. “It’s whether you can share it and make the right play. Get the right actions. I love our team. Being short handed at the point guard spot, I thought Chance and Darrion were unbelievable in handling pressure and making the right play. We were a little lackadaisical in transition on a few possessions, but for the most part took care of the basketball.”
Devan Cambridge returned to provide seven rebounds and five points after an injury ended his season last year after only eight games. Cambridge scored his first points with a 3-pointer for a 36-28 lead after he had already grabbed five rebounds. He was 2-for-4 from the field with one 3-pointer and now has 988 career points, while Federiko Federiko provided five points and five rebounds. As a team, Tech was 36-for-63 (57.1 percent) from the field and limited Bethune-Cookman to 41.7 percent.
The Red Raiders ended the first half on a 17-0 run that started with a Williams 3-pointer and included 3-pointers from McMillian and Walton before ending with an emphatic dunk from Federiko. Williams led Tech with 17 points and six assists through 20 minutes, while McMillian and Walton had nine points each with both drilling three 3-pointers. Toppin went into halftime with eight points and added six rebounds. Cambridge had six rebounds and three points. The Red Raiders finished the half shooting a blistering 19-for-30 (63.3 percent) from the field and were 9-for-15 (60.0 percent) on 3-pointers.
Texas Tech has now made 16 3-pointers in four games in program history, most recently against Kansas back on February 23, 2019. Walton’s seven 3s are the fifth most and the most since McMillian drilled eight last season at Butler.
“It was a great crowd and the students were awesome,” McCasland said. “It’s always fun to be back in the USA in the 100th basketball season of Texas Tech Athletics. It’s so cool.”
Texas Tech continues a four-game homestand to start its season by hosting Northwestern State at 8 p.m. on Friday at the USA.
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Release Provided By Wes Bloomquist Texas Tech Athletics