Christian Anderson explodes for 25 first-half points, powering No. 15 Texas Tech's dominant 87-57 thrashing of Winthrop.
Texas Tech didn't just beat Winthrop on Sunday - it erased them. Behind a scorching first half from Christian Anderson, the No. 15 Red Raiders steamrolled the Eagles 87-57, extending their non-conference home winning streak to 46 games and sending another loud reminder that Lubbock remains one of college basketball’s most unforgiving stops.
Anderson was the story from the opening tip.
The junior guard poured in 29 points, including 25 before halftime, and personally outscored Winthrop by himself as Tech carried a jaw-dropping 59-21 lead into the break.
Anderson knocked down all four of his three-pointers in the first half and accounted for the final 16 points before intermission, turning the game into a runaway long before halftime adjustments mattered.
The performance came just eight days after Anderson's national coming-out party at Madison Square Garden, where he dropped 23 second-half points to fuel Texas Tech's stunning comeback win over then-No. 3 Duke. That wasn't a fluke. Sunday confirmed it.
Jaylen Petty added 20 points for the Red Raiders, while preseason AP All-America forward JT Toppin continued his machine-like consistency with 14 points and 11 rebounds, recording his seventh double-double of the season and the 26th of his Texas Tech career in just 45 games.
Donovan Atwell chipped in 14 points, drilling four threes as Tech's perimeter shooting stretched Winthrop past its breaking point.
The Eagles (8-7) entered the game far tougher than the final score suggests. Their previous six losses had been by a combined 26 points, including a one-point defeat at No. 18 Arkansas - a team that beat Texas Tech earlier this month.
None of that mattered once the Red Raiders found their rhythm.
After Toppin sparked a quick 7-0 start with two layups and an assist on an Anderson three, Tech never looked back. A devastating 24-0 run over eight minutes buried Winthrop, which missed 14 consecutive shots during the stretch and never recovered.
The result keeps Texas Tech perfect at home in non-conference play under third-year head coach Grant McCasland, now 23-0 in those games. The last time the Red Raiders lost a non-conference home game was Jan. 25, 2020, in an overtime loss to No. 15 Kentucky.
Up next, Texas Tech turns the page to conference warfare, hosting Oklahoma State on Saturday to open Big 12 play.
If this was the tune-up, the Red Raiders look more than ready for what's coming.