No. 15 Texas Tech men’s basketball wrapped up non-conference play with a dominant first half performance in an 87-57 victory over Winthrop University Sunday in the United Supermarkets Arena.
Sophomore guard Christian Anderson finished the first half with 25 points, including scoring the final 16 prior to heading into the locker room at halftime. In the second half against No. 6 Duke University and the first half against the Eagles, the Atlanta native recorded 48 total points.
Anderson’s 25 first-half points was more than the Eagles recorded in the entire half, as they finished with 21.
As a team, the Red Raiders matched Anderson’s start on offense. From the 15:30 mark until the 7:40 mark, the Red Raiders embarked on a 24-0 scoring run to put the score at 35-4. It took until the 6:00 mark for Winthrop to reach double digits.
Tech went 21-for-32 from the field, finishing with a 65.6 shooting percentage. However, the team was especially efficient from beyond-the-arc.
Anderson, senior guard Donovan Atwell and freshman guard Jaylen Petty knocked down nine three-pointers before the halftime buzzer. The trio attempted all 15 of Tech’s first half three pointers. In comparison, Winthrop shot 1-for-14 from three-point range in the first half.
Tech’s offensive downpour allowed the Red Raiders to head into the locker room with their highest first-half margin of the season at 59-21, according to Tech Athletics.
Nonetheless, Winthrop didn’t leave Lubbock without a fight. The Eagles began the second half of play outscoring Tech 12-3.
The Eagles’ second-half resurgence was led by senior guard Kareem Rozier’s 11 points. All of Rozier’s points came in the second half of play.
While Tech held on to record a 30-point margin of victory, Winthrop outscored the Red Raiders in the second half 36-28. Winthrop shot 13-for-32 in the second half for a 40.6 shooting percentage, which was 19.2 percent higher than the Eagles’ first-half percentage.
Collectively, Tech only knocked down one three-pointer in the second half and shot 6-for-22 overall from the field.
With the victory, the Red Raiders conclude non-conference play with a 10-3 record. The three losses were all from top-25 opponents in Duke University, Purdue University and the University of Arkansas.
Tech will open Big 12 conference play against Oklahoma State University at noon Saturday in the United Supermarkets Arena.