Texas Tech has another chance to light up the scoreboard when it hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday night in Lubbock, Texas.
In the early portion of its schedule, Texas Tech (3-0) has been dominant. The Red Raiders have coasted through their nonconference slate with a 33.7-point average margin of victory.
JT Toppin leads Texas Tech in scoring (22.7), rebounding (9.0) and blocked shots (2.0) per game. He is shooting 73.7 percent from the floor and 50 percent from 3-point range.
Chance McMillian scores 15.3 points per game and Darrion Williams adds 13 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.
Christian Anderson and Elijah Hawkins joined the Texas Tech lineup for the first time this season in a 96-49 blowout against Wyoming on Tuesday.
Red Raiders coach Grant McCasland said the presence of both players, who played on minute restrictions, provided some added depth and a defensive lift. Anderson scored nine points in 26 minutes and Hawkins had seven in 13 minutes.
“Adding Elijah and Christian showed how aggressive we can be defensively,” McCasland said. “The difference in the game was forcing turnovers. Our ball pressure was ramped up and those guys made a difference.”
Anderson and Christian can add to the Red Raiders’ scoring barrage as well. Texas Tech has put up 92 points per game thus far.
“When they get in ball screens they can really operate,” McCasland said. “They have strengths unique to them but you can see they’ve played a lot of basketball and have experience in making decisions.”
Meanwhile, the Golden Lions (1-4) lost 92-64 at Incarnate Word on Saturday. Pine Bluff only trailed 39-36 at halftime but were outscored 53-28 after the break.
Christian Moore is the Golden Lions’ leading scorer at 13.0 points per game, followed by Klemen Vuga and Dante Sawyer at 12.2 apiece.
“We’ve got a lot of different pieces,” Arkansas-Pine Bluff coach Solomon Bozeman said before the season. “We’re going to be young and have some inexperience.”
–Field Level Media
