Dominant double-double and dazzling dimes fuel Texas Tech's explosive Big 12 opening victory. Red Raiders set the pace from the jump.
No. 15 Texas Tech opened Big 12 play with a statement Saturday in Lubbock, blasting Oklahoma State 102-80 behind a dominant double-double from JT Toppin and a dime-dropping masterpiece from Christian Anderson.
Toppin powered the Red Raiders with 23 points and 14 rebounds for his 39th career double-double, while Anderson stuffed the box score with 19 points and a career-high 13 assists as Tech improved to 11-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Texas Tech essentially took control for good early, never trailing after the opening minute and turning the afternoon into a celebration of pace, shot-making, and relentless pressure.
The Cowboys briefly grabbed the first punch when Parsa Fallah scored on Oklahoma State's opening possession, but that advantage disappeared almost immediately.
Toppin answered with a tying layup that sparked a 12-3 Red Raiders run, and from there Texas Tech stayed in front the rest of the way.
Tech's offensive depth showed up in a big way. LeJuan Watts flirted with a double-double of his own, finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds. Donovan Atwell poured in 15 points on five 3-pointers, and Jaylen Petty added 12 points while hitting four shots from deep.
The Red Raiders spread the floor, shared the ball, and punished Oklahoma State every time the Cowboys tried to climb back into it.
The largest first-half gap arrived when Atwell drilled a three to make it 35-19 with 6:23 left before halftime, but Oklahoma State had one last push in it.
The Cowboys ripped off a 13-2 run fueled by Anthony Roy 3s and a key stretch from Benjamin Ahmed to cut the deficit to 37-32 with 3:10 remaining in the half.
That was as close as it would get. Texas Tech steadied itself, rebuilt the margin, and slammed the door in the second half with consistent scoring and clean execution.
Oklahoma State entered the game 12-1 and playing its first true road contest of the season after its best nonconference start in nearly a decade, but the Cowboys couldn't match Tech's balance and momentum once the Red Raiders got rolling.
Roy led OSU with 22 points, knocking down six threes and adding eight rebounds. Fallah scored 20 points, and Jaylen Curry chipped in 13, but the Cowboys never found the defensive answers to slow Tech's two-headed scoring punch or the wave of perimeter shooting.
The win also reinforced the growing identity of this Texas Tech squad.
With Toppin and Anderson already among the nation's most productive teammates, Tech looked comfortable dictating tempo, creating quality looks, and turning early control into a full-game performance.