If Texas Tech felt any ill effects from a gut-wrenching loss five days earlier, those sure didn’t surface Saturday.
Instead, the 13th-ranked Red Raiders turned in one of their more dominant performances of the season against visiting Mississippi State in a 76-50 victory as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge at Lubbock, Texas.
Adonis Arms stepped in for an injured Terrence Shannon and led the way with 16 points — 15 in a dominant first half — and seven assists. Kevin Obanor scored 13 and Mylik Wilson contributed 12 as Texas Tech (16-5) eradicated the aftertaste of a double-overtime loss at No. 5 Kansas earlier in the week.
The Bulldogs (13-7) fell behind by double digits late in the first half and never really recovered.
Iverson Molinar led Mississippi State with 12 points but only three after halftime when the Red Raiders extended a 37-22 lead to the final margin. D.J Jeffries chimed in with 11 points.
Texas Tech roared to the end of the first half by hitting eight of its final 10 floor shots, while the Bulldogs went the last 3:16 without a point.
That was a harbinger of the second half when Mississippi State shot just 36 percent (9 of 25) from the floor. The Bulldogs knocked down only 4 of 16 from 3-point range for the game, which muted any chance of a rally.
Meanwhile the Red Raiders were crisp on offense and knocked down 14 of 20 floor shots (70 percent) and were 9-of-10 from the foul stripe over the final 20 minutes. Obanor produced 12 points after halftime to lead the way.
Like Texas Tech, the Bulldogs entered the game after a tough loss — an 82-74 setback at No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday. But they did not adapt to the next challenge as well as the Red Raiders.
Mississippi State had no answer for Texas Tech in the paint, where the Red Raiders dominated 44-16. Turnovers were also an issue: The Bulldogs coughed the ball up 22 times and Texas Tech converted those into 24 points.
–Field Level Media
