LUBBOCK, Texas — When Texas Tech and TCU met in Fort Worth, the Red Raiders struggled on offense, going cold for long stretches as the Horned Frogs pulled away in the second half.
Monday night’s rematch was the polar opposite. No. 24 Texas Tech made 13 3-pointers, blowing out TCU 88-42.
Davide Moretti and Kyler Edwards made four 3s each and Texas Tech went 13-22 as a team. The Red Raiders were up by 25 points in the first half and never looked back.
They were dominant on both ends, doubling both TCU’s score and its field goal percentage.
They got open looks all night, and forcing turnovers was key in doing so. The Horned Frogs coughed the ball up six times before they even took two shots and finished the game with 20.
Texas Tech pushed it in transition, throwing hit ahead passes for open looks from 3-point range and under the rim. Each of Texas Tech’s first four field goals came off of turnovers.
The turnovers were part of a solid all-around effort on the defensive end. Desmond Bane, who hung 27 on the Red Raiders in these teams’ last meeting, scored just seven points Monday.
Bane’s teammates didn’t do much either. Jaire Grayer was TCU’s leading scorer with 10, and the team shot just 26.7 percent from the field.
Even Jahmi’us Ramsey, who’s struggled on defense at times, chipped in with a huge rejection of TCU big man Kevin Samuel at the rim.
T.J. Holyfield continued his strong play on both ends. He protected the rim fiercely and finished strong the rim, tallying 10 points and three blocks.
Edwards and Moretti hit a barrage of 3-pointers early, allowing the Red Raiders to get out to a 38-13 lead. Moretti scored 17 points, tied for the team lead.
Ramsey scored from all over the court as well. He made 3-pointers, mid-range jumpers, and even broke out a spin move from the post for another basket. He finished the game with 17 points as well.
The Red Raiders seemingly couldn’t miss all night, even when Chris Beard emptied his bench. Andrei Savrasov made two 3s and Russel Tchewa hammered in a dunk. The team shot 60.4 percent from the field.
The lone fly in the ointment Monday was Terrence Shannon Jr., who left with an injury in the first half and did not return.
The win is Texas Tech’s third straight. It took care of business against Oklahoma, Texas and now TCU, separating itself from the middle of the Big 12 pack. The Red Raiders are now 16-8 overall and 7-4 in Big 12 play.