Quick Takeaways from Texas Tech's Dominant Win over Kansas State

The Red Raiders bounced back in a big way on their home court as they defeated the Wildcats by 28 points.

Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Marial Akuentok (13) dunks the ball. | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

LUBBOCK, Texas — It was an emotional week after seeing star forward JT Toppin suffer an ACL injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

While his Red Raiders' teammates could have shut it down for the rest of the regular season, they took care of business for a 100-72 victory over Kansas State inside United Supermarkets Arena.

Here are the quick takeaways and summary of Texas Tech's Victory

Christian Anderson led the charge, helping Texas Tech to a 19-12 lead early. He and Luke Bamgboye
combined for nine of those early Red Raider points. Jaylen Petty and Donovan Atwell made two early three-pointers each to give Texas Tech a 25-14 point lead over the Wildcats.

Nate Johnson for Kansas State scored five quick points, and P.J. Haggerty was held to only two points with just under nine minutes left in the first half. Both players had amazing games in their win over Baylor, but the Red Raiders' early defense minimized their offensive contributions.

With just over eight minutes until halftime, the Texas Tech guards had made five straight three-pointers to give Texas Tech a 32-14 lead. The Red Raiders, with just under seven minutes remaining, had made eight straight shots to take a 19-point lead over the Wildcats.

Texas Tech had made seven of their first eleven three-point attempts to take a 40-20 lead over K-State. Atwell made his fifth three-pointer of the game with just over two minutes until halftime and the Red Raiders led by a score of 47-27.

Atwell's 21 points, seven for nine from the field, were the main highlight of the first half. The Red Raiders, entering halftime, shot 40% from beyond the arc, and as a team, they had 10 assists and 16 rebounds. K-State statistically didn't have a bad first half, as they made eight of their ten free throw attempts, had only three turnovers, and scored 14 points in the paint. However, the eight three-pointers made by Texas Tech were the difference in the first half, giving the Red Raiders a 14-point halftime lead.

To begin the second half, Anderson, with a two-handed dunk, gave Texas Tech a 56-41 lead, as every time Kansas State tried to cut the Red Raider's lead to single digits, Texas Tech responded on both ends of the court. However, the Wildcats kept playing hard and the Red Raiders' lead was only 10 with 14 minutes left in the game. Watts responded with him making a wide-open three to give Texas Tech a 13-point lead.

K-State's Johnson made a basket to give the Red Raiders only a 70-60 lead with nine minutes remaining in the game. However, Texas Tech would go on to score ten straight points to increase its lead to 20 with just under eight minutes remaining in the game. Anderson made two straight three-pointers to help the Red Raiders increase their lead.

The Red Raiders would not allow K-State to get within 10 points again as they cruised to a victory at home against the Wildcats. Their 28-point victory showed that they can win and dominate without Toppin in the lineup.

The main takeaway from this game was that Atwell, Anderson, and Watts had outstanding games, carrying the Red Raiders' offense against the Wildcats. The three of them combined for 66 points, 11 assists, and four offensive rebounds. All five Texas Tech starters were in double digits for scoring, and they combined for 23 rebounds, 17 assists, and five blocks.

The Red Raiders' defense was not perfect, but they held Haggerty to 17 points and Johnson to 15. Texas Tech restricted the Wildcats to a field goal percentage of 44% and a three-point shooting percentage of 30%. They outrebounded Kansas State by 12 and had five more blocks than the Wildcats.

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