Player of the Game | Freshman Jarrett Culver had the hot hand early in the game, and kept scoring in the 2nd half. He was not stellar from the outside going 3-8 from downtown, or from the free throw line only hitting 2-5; yet he still finished connecting on 50% from the field with 8-16 for 21 points. He added 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist.
Stat of the Game | Our pressure and energy on defense made Wofford give up the ball with 21 turnovers, compared to our 13. Any time you cause the other team to have 20+ turnovers, it is going to be a steep uphill battle for them to stay close in the game.
🔔 Red Raiders Win! 🔔#TexasTech improves to 5-0 with a 79-56 victory over Wofford! #WreckEm #4To1 pic.twitter.com/brJBVrHvXY
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) November 23, 2017
How the Game was Won | Texas Tech started out slow, and was actually down by a point only 5 minutes into the match. Then our bench players came in and gave a spark. Things started clicking, shots started falling, and we found ourselves out to a big lead 50-22 at the end of the 1st half. The 2nd half was more of a tight contest, matching back and forth with Wofford on points. Culver and Evans had double-digit points, and a lot of players chipped in on offense.
Zach Smith and Justin Gray helped out, and Odiase got involved on getting to the charity stripe and grabbing 7 boards. Zhaire Smith was quiet on offense, but did contribute with 3 steals.
Turning Point | Besides the start of the game, the Red Raiders dominated in the 1st half. Yet, the 2nd half Wofford turned it up and we stayed steady. With about 8 minutes left in the game Odiase went up and made a nice strong layup while getting hacked. When he sunk his free throw it was us up 71-44, and we coasted the rest of the way from there on out.
Got out to an early lead and didn't look back. Take a look at the highlights from tonight's win. #WreckEm #4To1 pic.twitter.com/twLPDIhU1s
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) November 23, 2017
Team Observations | If you were looking for a hangover from the Naismith HOF Tournament or Northwestern demolishing, it was not noticeable. The team seemed to still be out for blood, and our defense stayed intense. The game was not as crisp of an outing as we had seen before, but we did our job and the outcome was another predicted blowout win. Wreck ’em Tech!