No. 13 Texas Tech reminded Kansas State men’s basketball once again how unforgiving Lubbock can be.

Multiple Red Raider offensive avalanches buried the Wildcats in a 100-72 loss Saturday afternoon at United Supermarkets Arena. The 100 points are the most scored by Texas Tech in series history.

K-State (11-16, 2-12 Big 12) is now 0-7 vs. Top 25 teams this season. Texas Tech (20-7, 10-4) shot 46% from 3-point range, using multiple double-digit runs to turn the game into a runaway win.

The Wildcats were outrebounded 40-28 and allowed 13 made 3-pointers, struggling to string together stops. Offensively, junior guard P.J. Haggerty led the way with 17 points, while senior guard Nate Johnson added 15 and redshirt junior forward Taj Manning chipped in 10, tying his career-high.

How it happened

After hanging around in the opening minutes, K-State saw things unravel midway through the first half. Dorin Buca suffered an apparent ankle injury that forced him out, and shortly after, Texas Tech caught fire from deep.

A 10-0 run — fueled by three 3-pointers from Tech’s Donovan Atwell — created early separation. The Wildcats struggled to match that perimeter efficiency.

Texas Tech shot 53% in the first half and went 8-of-18 from 3-point range, while K-State managed just 3-of-10 from deep, and the Red Raiders built a 49-35 advantage at the break.

K-State briefly made things interesting approaching the midway mark of the second half. After trailing by as many as 22, the Wildcats chipped the deficit down to 10. For a stretch, it felt like momentum tilted toward a competitive finish.

But just as quickly, Texas Tech answered. The Red Raiders responded with another 10-0 burst — this one coming in just over a minute — pushing the lead back to 20 and effectively putting the game out of reach.

Texas Tech closed the door emphatically down the stretch, using a 12-2 run over a three-minute span to balloon the margin back over 25, and eventually eclipse the century mark.

Here are some takeaways from the loss:

Lubbock lows continue

No matter the coach or circumstance, United Supermarkets Arena continues to be unkind to K-State.

Saturday’s 100-72 loss marked the Wildcats’ 11th straight defeat in Lubbock, a skid that now stretches back to 2014. Texas Tech has turned the building into a consistent stumbling block for K-State.

Even after trimming a 22-point deficit to 10 midway through the second half, the Wildcats couldn’t sustain stops. Tech answered immediately with another 10-0 surge, then closed with a 12-2 burst to push the margin to 28.

No Toppin, no problem

Texas Tech entered Saturday without All-America star JT Toppin, who suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the week.

It didn’t matter.

The Red Raiders shot 55% from the field, placing five players in double figures and eclipsing the century mark. Donovan Atwell poured in 26 points, including 21 in the first half, while Christian Anderson added 21 points and nine assists.

Rather than slowing down without its star, Tech’s roster depth showed up as the Red Raiders played more balanced offensively.

Driscoll’s first road test

After a feel-good 90-74 home win over Baylor in his debut, interim head coach Matthew Driscoll encountered a different reality Saturday.

Facing a ranked opponent in one of the Big 12’s toughest road environments, K-State couldn’t replicate the defensive urgency it showed earlier in the week. The Wildcats allowed 100 points for the second time in conference play this season, joining a loss at No. 1 Arizona.

The brief second-half push showed fight, but Driscoll’s first road outing underscored the small margin for error in the Big 12 — especially away from home.

Up next

K-State plays its second consecutive road game on Wednesday night when the Wildcats travel to Boulder, Colo., to take on Colorado (14-12, 4-9 Big 12) at the CU Events Center.

Tip is set for 8 p.m. CT on FS1. This will be the first visit to Boulder since 2011. Last year, the Wildcats posted a 65-56 win over the Buffaloes at home.