JT Toppin scored 22 points and Christian Anderson went off for a career-high 21 points with five 3-pointers to help lead No. 9 Texas Tech to a 73-51 win over West Virginia on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena.
The Red Raiders (21-6, 12-4 Big 12) trailed by seven before going on an 18-2 run that spanned from the end the first half and start of the second to move to 14-2 at home this season going into an 8 p.m. matchup against No. 5 Houston on Monday. Tech led 30-27 at halftime and limited the Mountaineers (16-11, 7-9 Big 12) to only 29.6 percent shooting in the second half, including limiting them to 2-for-11 on 3-pointers. Anderson finished the night 5-for-8 from 3-point range while WVU was 6-for-27 on 3s in the game.
"Over the course of the game in the second half we came out with the fight we needed," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "We fought. This time of year is about when it gets difficult, do you like being in the ring. It's real. There has to be a relentless approach. West Virginia is one of those teams that will fight you and I thought our grit to play in the second half showed what you have to be like this time of year."
Tech played without Chance McMillian who was out with a lower body injury and is listed as day-to-day. McMillian had started the previous 26 games this season and is averaging 15.1 points per game and leads Tech and the Big 12 by shooting 45.4 percent on 3-pointers. Tech finished off WVU in a game where it went 9-for-22 on 3-pointers, shot 46.4 percent from the field and owned a 41-31 rebounding advantage.
Toppin was two rebounds shy of his fifth straight double-double, finishing the game with eight rebounds to go along with his 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Anderson, who had a previous career-high 20 points in non-conference play against Lamar, added four assists and four rebounds to his scoring and defensive prowess. His five 3-pointers were also a career-best with him making four in four other games. He's now averaging 10.0 points per game this season and is 50-for-120 (41.7 percent) from 3-point range. Anderson scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, going 4-for-5 from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes – his first to give Tech a 45-34 lead as they pulled away.
"Every game, I think I'm getting better," Anderson said. "Coach has all the trust in the world in me. The coaching staff and my teammates. Chance McMillian wasn't playing but every single break or the chance he got he kept telling me to make plays and stay aggressive. Keep playing defense. Confidence comes from myself, coaches and teammates. That keeps me going."
Kevin Overton and Elijah Hawkins added 10 points each in the win while Darrion Williams finished with eight points and six rebounds. Hawkins led the team with five assists and finished with a season-high seven rebounds. Federiko Federiko and Overton had four rebounds each, leading the team with two offensive rebounds apiece. Hawkins and Toppin both made two 3-pointers in the game with Hawkins giving Tech a 50-36 lead with his second and Toppin making a pair of late ones, his second pushing the lead to 73-49. Toppin is now leading the Red Raiders with 17.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game this season after his 10th game with 20 or more point.
WVU was limited to just 19-for-58 (32.8 percent) shooting for the game and was 7-for-11. The 51 points were the least amount the Red Raiders have allowed in a Big 12 game this season and moved them to 7-0 in conference play when limiting opponents to under 60 points. Amani Hansberry led WVU with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Javon Small had 10 points and five assists. Both teams finished with nine turnovers, but Texas Tech had an 11-5 scoring advantage off them. The Red Raiders also had a 32-22 scoring advantage in the paint and went 12-for-15 at the free-throw line to earn a double-figure margin of victory for the 15th time this season and seventh in Big 12 play.
Texas Tech went on a 10-0 run to end the first half and led 30-27 going into the break after trailing for the majority of the opening 20 minutes. Overton led the Red Raiders with eight points after going 3-for-4 from the field and 2-of-2 at the free-throw line while Hawkins had seven points, three assists and four rebounds. Toppin went into the break with six points and five rebounds and Anderson had five points. Tech trailed 10-7 after a 7-0 run by the Mountaineers and were down 19-11 on a Sencire Harris 3-pointer. Hawkins would make a 3-pointer for the Red Raiders to cut it to six points before Overton made his two free throws and a layup for a 28-27 lead. Toppin capped scoring with a basket for the three-point halftime lead. Tech went into the break shooting 11-for-32 (34.4 percent) from the field, 2-for-11 (18.2 percent) from 3-point range and was 6-of-9 at the line. WVU was 11-for-31 (35.5 percent) from the field, 4-for-16 (25.0 percent) on 3s and just 1-of-3 at the line. Hansberry was leading the Mountaineers with 12 points and nine rebounds going into halftime.
