Texas Tech met with little resistance from Texas A&M-Commerce on Wednesday in the first game of new coach Grant McCasland’s tenure.
The Red Raiders plowed past the Lions 73-46 in Lubbock, Texas, riding a huge first-half lead and TAMU-Commerce’s shooting woes to maintain control from the opening tip.
Sophomore guard Pop Isaacs led Texas Tech (1-0) with 19 points, while transfer Darrion Williams began his first season with the program by scoring 14 and grabbing seven rebounds. Warren Washington helped the Red Raiders dominate on the backboards (48-31) by snaring 12 rebounds.
The Lions (0-2) got 13 points from Kalen Williams and Jerome Brewer Jr. contributed 11 in their team’s second lopsided loss to a Lone Star opponent in three days.
Playing for the first time officially under McCasland, Texas Tech bolted to an 8-0 lead in the opening 2:43, with Isaacs and West Virginia transfer Joe Toussaint (10 points) scoring a pair of buckets apiece. The lead reached double digits for the first time on an Isaacs 3-pointer at the 15:46 mark and never shrunk under 10 the rest of the night.
That was in large part because TAMU-Commerce struggled to develop any offensive consistency in the opening 20 minutes. The Lions missed 20 of 28 field goals and clanged all 13 3-point tries. They warmed up slightly in the second half to finish at 29.9 percent overall (20 of 67) and 5-for-35 from deep.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders were efficient on offense, hitting 12 of 27 floor shots and 13 of 16 from the free-throw line in the first half.
Isaacs notched 13 points in the first half to lead the way.
The Lions were more competitive in the second half and gave Texas Tech some trouble. The Red Raiders finished with 18 turnovers, which led to 13 TAMU-Commerce points. Texas Tech also misfired on 9 of 10 from outside the 3-point arc after halftime.
McCasland came to Texas Tech after the school parted ways with former coach Mark Adams after only two seasons. McCasland made stops all over Texas after beginning his career in Lubbock as a director of operations in 1999.
–Field Level Media
