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Texas Tech basketball: Red Raiders dominant in season-opening win

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 25: Guard Mac McClung #0 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders handles the ball during the first half of the college basketball game against the Northwestern State Demons at United Supermarkets Arena on November 25, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 25: Guard Mac McClung #0 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders handles the ball during the first half of the college basketball game against the Northwestern State Demons at United Supermarkets Arena on November 25, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Wednesday night in Lubbock, the Texas Tech basketball team put forth a dominant showing in a 101-58 victory over Northwestern State to open the year.

So much for taking time to gel.  Despite breaking in eight new faces who did not log a minute for the program a season ago, the Texas Tech basketball team steamrolled its way to a 101-58 win over Northwestern State on Wednesday to open the 2020-21 season.

One of those newcomers, Georgetown transfer Mac McClung, led the way with 20 points while another, VCU transfer Marcus Santos-Silva was impressive with 10 points and 12 rebounds as both made their Red Raider debuts.  Meanwhile, true freshman Micah Peavy made quite the first impression as well with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals while getting the start.

But it wasn’t just the new additions that carried the load.  Sophomore forward Terrence Shannon Jr. chipped in with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals as he took over the game on both ends of the floor at times.

We didn’t know what to expect from the Red Raiders in their first game of the season given the influx of new faces and the lack of any preseason scrimmages against other programs as are common in a normal training camp.  However, any fears of a sluggish start and a potential upset were quickly assuaged.

After the teams traded buckets in the first six minutes of action, an 11-0 run put the Red Raiders ahead 23-10.  During that span, four different Red Raiders scored and that was a theme for the entire game.

In all, each of the 12 Red Raiders that stepped on the floor put at least one point on the scoreboard. with all five starters reaching double figures.  And in a 14-1 run to end the first half, a run that essentially put this game to bed by the time the intermission arrived, six different Red Raiders contributed to the offensive onslaught.

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It was a total team effort in a dominant win and that was the case on both ends of the floor.  Tech won the rebounding battle 51-32 and forced 19 turnovers (13 of which were steals). Additionally, Tech shot 54% from the field while holding Northwestern State to just 34.4% shooting.

The Demons certainly struggled to put together much resistance.  They had just one player, Jamaure Gregg, in double digits.  The senior forward ended his night with 11 points and 4 rebounds.

One key for the Red Raiders was that they kept streaky shooter Jairus Roberson in check.  After averaging 11.9 points per game a year ago, the 6-foot-2 guard from Dallas was just 2-9 from the floor and 1-7 from 3-point range.

It was as dominant of a showing as anyone could have asked for from the Red Raiders.  Now, they turn their attention to Friday afternoon’s game with Sam Houston State in Lubbock as Beard and Co. look to continue the process of coming together as a team.  Of course, based on what we saw Wednesday night, they already seem to be a rather well-oiled machine.

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