TCU gave Texas Tech a challenge on Wednesday, but once the 22nd-ranked Red Raiders were fully alert, they returned to their winning ways as one of the Big 12’s top teams.
JT Toppin recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Chance McMillian scored 16 points as Texas Tech held off a late scoring drought to secure a 71-57 win at home.
The Red Raiders (16-4, 7-2 Big 12) have now won five straight games since a one-point overtime loss to Iowa State on January 11.
Noah Reynolds led TCU (10-10, 3-6 Big 12) with 14 points, but he fouled out after struggling with foul trouble throughout the second half.
Texas Tech led 32-29 at halftime but started the second half a bit shaky, falling behind 39-38 when TCU’s Brendan Wenzel made a 3-pointer with 16:36 remaining.
That 3-pointer was one of the few successful attempts from beyond the arc for the Horned Frogs, who shot just 2-for-13 from deep in the second half and 5-for-18 overall. Wenzel finished with 11 points, but that was his only field goal in the second half.
In contrast, Texas Tech regained its shooting touch from 3-point range when it counted. The Red Raiders hit three 3-pointers in a four-minute stretch after Wenzel’s go-ahead shot, and finished the second half 6-for-15 after making only 4 of 16 in the first half. McMillian made two of those 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the second half.
Toppin responded to Wenzel’s shot with a basket of his own just 26 seconds later, starting a 10-3 run for the Red Raiders. When Elijah Hawkins made a 3-pointer with 12:48 remaining, Texas Tech regained control with a 48-42 lead.
Reynolds hit a mid-range jumper to keep TCU close, 51-46, but McMillian answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession. The Red Raiders then scored back-to-back second-chance points, pushing the lead to double digits with a quick 7-0 run.
TCU shot just 30 percent (9-for-30) in the second half and missed nine of 10 shots after Wenzel’s 3-pointer put the Horned Frogs in the lead.
