No. 25 Texas Tech men's basketball team downs Texas Southern
D'Maurian Williams found a way to impact the game Thursday.
The Texas Tech men's basketball team, which did not have many adverse moments in its season opener, found itself up a bucket in its second home contest against Texas Southern.
Williams, who made his impact in the first 20 minutes of the opener, did the same in the second straight game as he netted five points — all during a 10-1 offensive surge — to help the No. 25 Red Raiders down the scrappy Tigers 78-52 inside United Supermarkets Arena.
“I mean, just playing hard man,” Harmon said of Williams’ effort Thursday night. ”D’maur did great, he always does great at that. Obviously, we need everybody — all 12, 13 of us. So it was big.
“Definitely that bucket in the first half. Each bucket is big, each possession is big. That’s what coach Adams always preaches. He’s been playing hard man. And I love it.”
Jaylon Tyson (career best 13 points), De'Vion Harmon (12 points) and Daniel Batcho (seven points, four rebounds) also contributed on the offensive end, while Kevin Obanor, who finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, got going despite dealing with foul trouble early.
Batcho and Obanor missed a good chunk of the first half with two fouls.
That meant the Red Raiders saw a glimpse of what their offense could look like without Fardaws Aimaq on the court — run and gun.
The up-tempo offense helped Texas Tech shoot at a 59% clip in the first half, while going 3-for-12 from the three-point line. The defense yielded a 42% mark to the Tigers, who shot 2-for-14 from the three-point line.
“It shows you the depth of this team,” Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said after being asked about 11 players scoring at least one point for the second straight contest. ”And, at the same time, we’ve got a lot of guys that do a lot of things well.
“Was really pleased with KO (Kevin Obanor), and I thought De’Vion Harmon was a guy that separated himself — zero turnovers, made a lot of big plays on defense and had a lot of energy and leadership. So I was really proud of those guys.”
The second half had Obanor step into the forefront, without the worry of foul trouble as he helped the Red Raiders salt away the victory over the Tigers — who were without the services of senior guard PJ Henry.
Davon Barnes ended the night with 10 points, the only TSU player in double figures.
What's next: Texas Tech welcomes Louisiana Tech, which is led by former Red Raiders assistant Talvin Hester, for a 7 p.m. Monday contest.
NO. 25 TEXAS TECH 78, TEXAS SOUTHERN 54
TEXAS SOUTHERN (0-2)
Barnes 5-12 0-0 10, Nicholas 2-6 2-6 6, Walker 2-10 3-6 7, Gilliam 2-6 0-0 5, Marin 2-5 0-0 6, Carter 1-4 0-0 3, Mortle 5-12 2-2 12, Granger 2-3 1-1 5, O'Neal 0-2 0-0 0, Farooq 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-60 8-15 54.
TEXAS TECH (2-0)
Batcho 3-6 1-2 7, Obanor 6-8 0-0 13, Harmon 3-6 6-8 12, Isaacs 1-8 3-4 6, Tyson 6-11 1-1 13, Walton 1-3 2-2 5, Allen 2-4 0-1 4, Fisher 3-6 0-0 7, D.Williams 2-6 0-0 5, Washington 1-2 2-2 4, Jennings 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 28-61 17-22 78.
Halftime_Texas Tech 44-28. 3-Point Goals_Texas Southern 4-18 (Marin 2-4, Carter 1-3, Gilliam 1-4, O'Neal 0-1, Walker 0-2, Mortle 0-4), Texas Tech 5-17 (Obanor 1-1, Fisher 1-2, D.Williams 1-2, Walton 1-3, Isaacs 1-4, Harmon 0-1, Jennings 0-1, Tyson 0-3). Fouled Out_Marin. Rebounds_Texas Southern 37 (Walker 12), Texas Tech 32 (Obanor 7). Assists_Texas Southern 7 (Walker, Farooq 2), Texas Tech 12 (Harmon 3). Total Fouls_Texas Southern 22, Texas Tech 14. A_13,835 (15,098).
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Kevin Obanor, Daniel Batcho, De'Vion Harmon help No. 25 Texas Tech down Texas Southern in men's college basketball
