LUBBOCK, Texas — No. 22 Texas Tech’s Big 12 opener could not have gone better for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders moved the ball well, made 3-pointers and bothered Oklahoma State on defense, winning 85-50.
After a close first half, Texas Tech made a commanding run early in the second, scoring on five straight possessions to take a 17-point lead.
The Red Raiders shot the 3-pointer well all game, and Jahmi’us Ramsey nailed two of them in that early second half explosion. Ramsey finished with a game-high 18 points.
Texas Tech also got a huge boost from T.J. Holyfield. After starting the season well, Holyfield has struggled with foul trouble and hadn’t scored more than 10 points since the third game of the season.
Saturday afternoon Holyfield broke out, scoring 17 points and throwing down two emphatic dunks.
Holyfield also made big shots in a tight first half. The two teams went back-and-forth until Texas Tech made a run before halftime. Chris Clarke freed Holyfield for a 3-pointer with a cagey pass fake, one of his five assists, and Ramsey dropped off a pass to Kyler Edwards for a layup, putting the Red Raiders up by eight points.
Defensively, Chris Beard made Oklahoma State’s life tough with an effective scheme. Texas Tech switched nearly everything, not allowing even the smallest crevices of space for open looks. The Cowboys shot just 28.8 percent for the game.
The switching was critical in containing Oklahoma State’s Lindy Waters in the first half, a huge key for the Red Raiders after Waters went off for seven 3-pointers last time these teams faced off. Waters found his stroke in the second half and finished with a team-leading 13 points, but it proved to be too little, too late, especially as most of his teammates struggled.
When switched onto mismatched opponents, Texas Tech defenders fared well. Its guards battled Oklahoma State big man Yor Anei, keeping him from getting post position. The Red Raiders’ crew of mobile big men did not have an issue chasing Oklahoma State’s guards around the perimeter.
The Cowboys were able to inflict damage on the glass in the first half, grabbing eight offensive boards; but Texas Tech completely solved that issue in the second half. The Red Raiders out-rebounded the Cowboys 23-9 in the second half. Clarke snared 10 boards.
Chris Beard could not have asked for a better start to Big 12 play, but Texas Tech’s schedule gets no easier. The Red Raiders will host No. 6 Baylor in Lubbock Tuesday night.
