On a night when the stars of the Texas Tech basketball program were rather quiet, a couple of new additions helped lead the Red Raiders to an easy victory over Jackson State. In the 76-42 win, Damarion Dennis and Cruz Davis combined for 37 points to make a great first impression on their new home fans.
Those big games were critical given that Darrion Williams and Donovan Atwell struggled to score. That duo went a combined 0-11 from the field for five points. That included an 0-6 night from 3-point range by Atwell, who finished with only four points in 27 minutes of action.
In fact, the entire Texas Tech roster was cold from deep. A team expected to be deadly from beyond the arc managed to make just six of 29 attempts in the opener.
Fortunately, Tech's defense made up for that poor shooting effort. The Red Raiders allowed Jackson State to make only 14 shots on 48 attempts on the evening. Additionally, Tech forced 24 turnovers, including 12 steals.
Davis was a terror on the defensive end of the court. His six steals were one short of the program's single-game record.
Additionally, Davis added 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists. That's the type of all-around impact head coach Grant McCasland will need from the senior transfer from Hofstra.
As for Dennis, the unheralded transfer from Wyoming, he finished with 22 points to lead all scorers. He was 8-12 from the floor and 4-8 from 3-point range. Dennis was the only Red Raider to make more than one shot from deep.
It was the second time Dennis had a strong showing off McCasland's bench. In the Red Raiders' exhibition game at Kentucky, he scored 11 points to show that he is capable of providing a spark as a reserve.
The only other Red Raider to score in double figures also came off the bench. Forward Josiah Mosley added 13 points to the winning cause. He also grabbed eight boards, came up with one steal, and dished out an assist.
With forwards JT Toppin and Jamichael Stillwell unavailable, Mosley will need to be a key contributor down low. Fortunately, in the opener, he showed signs of being ready for that challenge.
Tech went with a small lineup to open the game. Williams was asked to play as a power forward at just 6-foot-6, something the Red Raiders can get away with against mid-and low-major teams like Jackson State.
Williams was not overly aggressive with his shot on Monday. In fact, he took just three shots from the floor (missing all of them).
However, he did pull down five rebounds and hand out three assists. Still, when better opponents come calling, Williams will need to be a bigger factor.
Ultimately, Tech had the chance to ease into the season, and that's what McCasland's team did. Jackson State was unable to put any fear in the home team and didn't lead except for the first few minutes when they got off to a 6-3 start.
The level of competition will increase rapidly in the coming weeks, though. After hosting Bethune-Cookman on Thursday night, Tech will then try to bring down No. 3 Illinois at United Supermarkets Arena on Tuesday, November 10.
While Monday's opener was a decent start to the season, Tech has plenty to improve upon before tangling with the Illini. Hopefully, the 3s start falling at a better clip, and the Red Raiders' stars find their footing because there isn't much time to gel before business picks up.
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