No. 25 Texas Tech got at least one 3-pointer from each of its five starters in the first half, and the efficient Red Raiders were on their way to a 78-46 victory over Eastern Washington on Wednesday afternoon in Lubbock, Texas.
Balanced Texas Tech (9-2), in the absence of two injured starters, got 12 points each from Bryson Williams and Adonis Arms. Kevin Obanor contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Kevin McCullar added 10 points and five assists.
In the first half, the Red Raiders had few wasted possessions as they made 70.8 percent of their shots from the floor, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc (54.5 percent). Tech committed just three turnovers in rolling to a 50-27 lead at the break.
Gunning for its first-ever win over a Big 12 team and its second in history over a ranked team, Eastern Washington (6-6) was led by Rylan Bergersen who had 10 points. Linton Acliese scored nine points and Angelo Allegri added eight.
The Eagles were no match inside for the bigger Red Raiders who outscored them 40-4 in the paint and won the battle of the boards, 36-24. Eastern Washington hit just 26.4 percent of its shots from the floor and committed 14 turnovers.
It was the first-ever meeting between the teams, both of which reached the NCAA tournament last year and now have new head coaches who were promoted from within the staff.
Eastern Washington took an early 13-12 lead on a 3-pointer by Allegri. But Arms answered with a 3 of his own as Texas Tech gained the lead for good.
With Ethan Price hitting a 3-pointer and adding a pair of free throws, Eastern Washington kept the margin within striking distance. A layup by Acliese with 5:30 left in the half still had the deficit in single digits.
But Texas Tech responded with a 12-0 run, triggered by a 3-pointer by Obanor. When Marcus Santos-Silva (eight points) finished a fastbreak with a slam dunk and fellow reserve Daniel Batcho followed with a tip-in to complete the spree, the Red Raiders had a 46-25 lead.
-Field Level Media
