Game of the Week Recap: Texas Tech Heats Up with Win

Bias alert: I graduated from Texas Tech.

No. 12 Texas Tech pulled off the home win against the No. 6 Houston Cougars, winning with a score of 90-86.

JT Toppin had his 44th career double-double with 31 points, shooting 12-24 with 12 rebounds. An absolute sensational performance in a critical game for the Red Raiders. However, it was not just Toppin who helped the Red Raiders win a crucial Big 12 contest, but it was also Jaylen Petty, who scored 18 points and had eight rebounds; Donovan Atwell, who had 18 points; and Christian Anderson, who had 12 points and nine assists.

Houston also played an excellent game as Kingston Flemings scored an incredible 42 points and having six assists. He shot 15-26 on the field and was 4-9 from three-point range. Emanuel Sharp scored 20 points, and both Chris Cenac Jr. and Joseph Tugler had seven rebounds each.

Rebounds was one of the main stories of the game though as the Red Raiders secured 44 rebounds to Houston’s 28. A clear distinction in being opportunistic after missed shots. The Red Raiders also had more assists than the Cougars, 16-9. Although Toppin missed all of his three-point shots, the Red Raiders also had a better three point percentage led by Petty and Atwell. Petty shot 4-6 while Atwell shot 5-8.

Besides an offense that matches the Red Raiders, what also kept the Cougars in the game was the lack of turnovers. The Red Raiders had 10 turnovers compared to the Cougars’ 6, but the Cougars committed more fouls than the Red Raiders, 25-16.

Still, it was a back-and-forth game. Although the Red Raiders came out on top, there were eight lead changes, but the Red Raiders still came out on top.