No. 16 Texas Tech Stuns No. 3 Illinois 84-78

LUBBOCK, Texas -- No. 16 Texas Tech held on to beat No. 3 Illinois 84-78 despite a 20-point halftime lead slipping to a one-point margin in the second half at the United Supermarkets Arena Tuesday night.

The win extends the Red Raiders' nonconference home winning streak to 49 games. The Illini are Tech's highest-ranked nonconference visitor in program history.

Illinois used 58 percent shooting in the second half to erase a Tech lead that got to 22 points in the first half. The Illini, the nation's top rebounding team through the first week of the season, were out-rebounded and allowed 22 points off 11 turnovers in the first half against a Tech defense that has stifled opponents to a 3-0 start to the season.

Tech won the rebound battle 43-32, including an 18-10 advantage on the offensive glass.

Texas Tech was paced by Cruz Davis' 20 points and 5 assists. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who spent his first two collegiate years in Champaign, scored 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting against his former team.

The Illini's comeback was shackled by an 8-of-19 showing at the free-throw line.

Freshman Quentin Coleman led Illinois in scoring with 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range while Andrej Stojakovic added 18.

Both teams played without key starters due to injuries, but Texas Tech got a boost in the debut of Jamichael Stillwell, who recorded an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double. Stillwell became eligible this week after receiving a new temporary restraining order that grants him a fifth year of eligibility.

Davis and Donovan Atwell combined to knock down the first three 3-point attempts for the Red Raiders, igniting the nearly sold-out crowd for a 13-9 Red Raiders advantage at the first media timeout.

Texas Tech's rebounding and active hands forced the Illini into several turnovers to spark a 9-0 run and a 37-24 lead with five minutes to play in the first half.

Another steal and transition layup by Gibbs-Lawhorn got fans on their feet as Texas Tech built its lead to 17 at 41-26.

The Red Raiders closed the first half on a 21-5 run in total to lead 49-29 at the break.

Illinois cut its deficit to 54-40 at the 15:27 mark, then to 61-51 at 11:44 by picking up its defensive intensity. The Red Raiders started the second half shooting just 3-of-14 with four turnovers. The Illini made 10 of their first 15 shots after halftime.

Tech's offense stalling coincided with Gibbs-Lawhorn exiting the game just minutes into the second half. Tech coach Grant McCasland - who is now 26-0 in nonconference games in Lubbock - said Gibbs-Lawhorn was dealing with cramps, an issue that also plagued him in previous games.

An and-one conversion from Tomislav Ivisic capped a 9-0 run by Illinois at the midway point of the second half. Gibbs-Lawhorn returned to the floor on the next possession and hit a floater - Tech's first field goal in its last five attempts - before needing help off the floor at the 6:25 mark.

Stefan Vaaks added to Illinois' struggles at the charity stripe, but brought it to a one-possession game before Darrion Williams' pair of free throws put Tech ahead 65-60.

Stojakovic's layup minutes later brought the Illini to within one before 3s by Damarion Dennis and Atwell stopped Texas Tech's bleeding from the outside.

Atwell added free throws with 3:09 to play to extend the Red Raiders' edge. Facing a zone defense, Davis' sky-high layup and free throws pushed the lead to eight in the closing minute.

Up next, the Red Raiders' five-game homestand continues Saturday against Stonehill.

Illinois hosts Sam Houston on Friday to set the table for a visit to No. 2-ranked Duke on Nov. 17. The Blue Devils were upset by No. 5 Michigan State, 79-73, Tuesday at United Center in Chicago.