Bryson Williams proves worth for Texas Tech basketball as Red Raiders host Grambling State
Bryson Williams made his presence known in the regular season opener.
The 6-foot-8, 240-pound transfer forward from UTEP got things started off early as he logged the game's first points with a layup less than 20 seconds into a nonconference contest against North Florida on Tuesday.
More so, Williams' aggressive play, and workman-like attitude, could become pillars into what head coach Mark Adams wants to mold the men's basketball program under his watch.
And it proved to be a winning formula as Williams netted a team-best 12 points, on 4-for-4 shooting, including a 1-for-1 mark at the three-point line, in the first half to help the Red Raiders claim a 14-point advantage by halftime.
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"I mean it was amazing, being able to play in front of Red Raider nation," Williams said Tuesday following the 89-74 victory over the Ospreys. "Just being able to experience that crowd and that environment from the jump. ... Just being able to go out there and compete hard and play hard for them. It was really good."
The aggressive mentality continued for the 20 minutes, which led to him finishing with a game-high 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, one block and one steal.
The one negative was four personal fouls, including a third which forced him to return to the bench with 8:12 left in the first half. Williams logged his fourth foul with 18:18 left in the second half, but played smart and checked out for the final time about 10 minutes later.
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"My teammates just kept looking for me, they made a big emphasis on going inside," Williams said of what made him successful Tuesday night. "They trusted in me to go in there and finish. ... I just had it going on tonight and kept it rolling."
Williams will look to improve on that mark when the Red Raiders host Grambling State at 7 p.m. Friday at United Supermarkets Arena.
The Tigers, picked to finish fourth in the SWAC, are coming off a 74-53 at Grand Canyon University as part of a four-game road trip to start their regular season.
Guards Tra'Michael Moton and Prince Moss led the offense as each scored 10 points. Cameron Christon, who was named to the All-Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason first team, netted seven points and four rebounds.
The Red Raiders have several guards up to the task of defending, including Davion Warren (14 points, five assists, three rebounds, three steals), Kevin McCullar (eight points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal) and Mylik Wilson (seven assists, five points, two rebounds and two steals.
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The trio helped contribute to North Florida committing 17 turnovers on Tuesday, while Grambling State also had 17 turnovers in its loss.
Texas Tech turned the ball over 12 times but had 20 assists on 35 made field goals. It was one of many positives the coaches and players following Tuesday's win.
"We still have a good amount of room to grow," Texas Tech forward Kevin Obanor said. "We made significant progress. We have a very versatile group. ... We have a lot of talent in the group. But the point is: if we win, we all eat.
"I think the main point is to not be selfish and we're all still gelling. We're still getting a feel for each other. We still have a long way to go, and the best is yet to come."
TEXAS TECH VS. GRAMBLING STATE
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: United Supermarkets Arena
Records: Texas Tech 1-0, Grambling State 0-1
Online stream: ESPN+
Radio: FM 97.3/FM 100.7
Game updates: Follow @cmsilvajr on Twitter for live game updates, with post-game recap and interviews to follow at www.lubbockonline.com/sports.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Bryson Williams proves worth as Texas Tech Red Raiders host Grambling State
