Tuesday in Lubbock, the Texas Tech basketball team secured a win that will pay off all season long, especially on Selection Sunday. Thanks in large part to 20 points and five assists from point guard Cruz Davis, the Red Raiders took down No. 3 Illinois 84-78.
Thanks to a red-hot first half, the Red Raiders built a 20-point lead at the intermission. However, Illinois mounted a second-half rally that eventually cut the Tech lead to just one point.
Fortunately, the Red Raiders held on thanks to clutch shooting at the free-throw line and some rugged rebounding down low. Here are some rapid reactions to the fantastic win that head coach Grant McCasland and his team secured.
Texas Tech won this game at the free-throw line
Essentially, this game came down to the free-throw line. That's where the Red Raiders had a huge edge.
Tech went 23-26 at the line. That was refreshing after the team struggled in the first two games of the season, going just 19-31 in each.
Meanwhile, Illinois was cold at the line. Going just 8-19, the Illini shot just 42%. That proved to be the difference in the game, especially as Illinois tried to mount a comeback in the final 20 minutes.
Jamichael Stillwell has fantastic debut for Texas Tech
There's no question that Texas Tech would not have won this game without UCF transfer Jamichael Stillwell on the floor. The 6-foot-8, 245-pound senior recently received a temporary injunction to play a fifth year of college hoops, and Tuesday night was his Texas Tech debut.
Stillwell came off the bench to play 26 minutes. In that time, he posted 11 points and 13 rebounds. There's no question that his physical presence on the glass and in the lane was one reason the Red Raiders were able to compete with the taller Illini.
Stillwell looks like the strongest forward Tech has had on the roster since Norense Odiase. Hopefully, he will remain eligible because he makes this team so much tougher and more imposing down low.
Texas Tech survives despite Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn's injury
Early in the second half, Texas Tech lost guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn to a leg injury after he collided with an Illinois player. Though he briefly returned to the game some moments later, he eventually sat out the stretch run, which was one reason Illinois got back into the game.
In the first half, Gibbs-Lawhorn was fantastic against his former team. He had 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting to tie for the team lead in scoring.
However, in the second half, he played only a handful of minutes and scored just two points. When he was out, Tech was sluggish offensively in the half-court given that Davis was the team's only playmaker off the dribble.
Still, Tech was able to find a way to grind out the win. Hopefully, Gibbs-Lawhorn will be ready to go when the Red Raiders return to action because his playmaking is critical for this team.
Texas Tech gets little from Darrion Williams
One negative from the evening was the quiet night from Darrion Williams. The fifth-year senior was unable to make any of the five field goals he attempted, but he did go 4-5 from the free-throw line.
Williams also managed to pull down five boards and hand out a pair of assists. Still, this team needs more offense from him.
When Gibbs-Lawhorn went out, it would have been the perfect time for Williams to step up and shoulder some of the offensive load. That didn't happen, though.
This season, Williams has yet to score in double figures in a game. That can't continue for the Red Raiders to reach their ceiling as a team.
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