No. 20 Texas Tech men’s basketball’s strong second-half defensive performance led to an 82-50 bounce-back victory against the University of New Orleans Wednesday in the United Supermarkets Arena.
Tech held New Orleans to 16 total second half points en route to a 32-point victory five days after suffering a 30-point loss of its own to No. 1 Purdue University at the Baha Mar Championship.
The Privateers were held to 30 percent shooting from the field in the second half, while the Red Raiders put up 41 second half points. In addition to Tech’s scoring spurt, junior forward JT Toppin and sophomore forward Christian Anderson recorded 28 of the Red Raiders’ first half points.
Anderson had a career game from beyond the arc, knocking down six of nine three-point attempts. Anderson totaled 23 points and five assists in the game after recording 18 points in the first half.
Toppin recorded his third double-double of the season against the Privateers, racking up 19 points and 16 rebounds — two rebounds shy of his career-high, according to Tech Athletics. Toppin completed the double-double before the halftime buzzer rang with 11 rebounds and 10 points.
The Privateers scored as many total points in the second half as their overall top-scorer senior guard Jakevion Buckley did on the day. Buckley totaled 16 points and was 4-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Overall, the Privateers went 8-for-13 at the free-throw line. However, Tech recorded more made free throws than the Privateers attempted at 15-for-25.
Despite the strong finish to the game, the Red Raiders didn’t begin the game with the same intensity. Entering the first half of play, the Red Raiders got out to a quick 10-2 lead over the Privateers. However, Tech shortly fell into old habits.
New Orleans embarked on a 14-5 scoring run over the next four minutes and 24 seconds, putting the Privateers on top with a 16-15 lead.
Despite losing the lead early, Tech pulled out of the offensive rut, outscoring the Privateers 24-16 to end the half.
Wednesday’s victory marks the 43rd consecutive non-conference home victory for the Red Raiders, which ranks as the third-longest streak in the nation. The only two schools in front of Tech are Auburn University with 63 wins and Baylor University with 47 wins, according to Tech Athletics.
Tech will look to extend that streak at 2 p.m. Sunday against the University of Wyoming in the United Supermarkets Arena.