JT Toppin had 30 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 9 Texas Tech over Colorado 91-75 on Wednesday in Lubbock, Texas, in the Red Raiders’ final home game of the season.
Texas Tech (23-7, 14-5 Big 12) remains in a second-place tie with No. 24 Arizona in the conference. The Red Raiders have won two straight and five of their past seven games entering the regular-season finale on Saturday at Arizona State.
The Buffaloes (11-19, 2-17) have lost three consecutive games and four of their past five. Colorado, which started 0-13 in the conference, ends its season against TCU on Saturday in Boulder, Colo.
Toppin was 10 of 17 from the floor, including 2 of 2 from behind the 3-point arc. The Red Raiders were 16 of 33 from deep.
Chance McMillian had 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers. Christian Anderson and Kerwin Walton each had 12 points and combined to shoot 7 of 15 from long range.
Texas Tech never trailed and built a 45-33 at halftime. They led by as much as 20 in the second half as Colorado struggled from outside, shooting 3 of 14 from behind the arc.
The Red Raiders scored 16 points off 10 Buffaloes turnovers and scored 18 fastbreak points.
Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak each scored 12 points to lead Colorado. The Buffaloes shot 52.7 percent overall, but their struggles on 3-pointers and at the free-throw line (14 of 21) helped the Red Raiders hold a steady lead.
Reserves Assane Diop and Elijah Malone scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, and combined to go 9 of 11 from the field. RJ Smith was 2 of 4 from deep, but his teammates combined to shoot 1 of 10.
McMillian’s 3-pointer on a fastbreak gave Texas Tech a 12-2 lead five minutes into the game, and Colorado struggled to recover. The Red Raiders led by double figures throughout the second half.
–Field Level Media
