Texas Tech University Athletics
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Toppin dominates, No. 10 Tech tames Bearkats
November 07, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – JT Toppin recorded the 32nd double-double of his career with 31 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 10 Texas Tech to a 98-77 win over Sam Houston in a game with five Red Raiders scoring in double figures on Friday at United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders have now won 40 straight non-conference home games and have started the season by scoring 98 points in both games to start the year after a 98-60 win over Lindenwood in the opener.
Donovan Atwell made six 3-pointers for the second straight game to start the season, finishing with 19 points while Christian Anderson went for 18 points and led the team with seven assists. Tech finished the game shooting 12-for-28 from beyond the arc and was 28-of-43 at the free-throw line. Atwell, who scored 22 in the win over Lindenwood on Tuesday, was 6-for-11 on 3-pointers and Anderson was 3-for-4 from deep. Tyeree Bryan added 12 points after going 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and LeJuan Watts made his season debut and went for 11 points and six rebounds.
With two games in the books, the Red Raiders (2-0) now turn their attention to a nationally-ranked matchup on the road against No. 17 Illinois at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. The first ever meeting between the programs will be broadcast on FS1 with a rematch set for next season in Lubbock. The Fighting Illini (2-0) have opened their season with wins over Jackson State and Florida Gulf Coast. Â
Toppin notched his fourth double-double scoring 30 or more points in his career after having three last season during his all-America season. He finished the game 10-for-19 from the field and 11-of-16 at the free-throw line in his season debut after missing the season opener with a lower body injury. Eight of his rebounds came on the offensive end of the court and he also had four assists and three steals. Â
"JT makes the right play," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "He has a great heart for our team. He shot a couple that were difficult and he was aware of it. Let's not take for granted him having 31 and 14. He's gotten better and he'll keep getting better. His effort over the course of the game was good."
Through two games played, Anderson is averaging 26.0 points and 9.0 assists per game while Atwell is 12-for-24 (50 percent) on 3-pointers. Watts, who missed the season opener with a lower body injury, made his Red Raider debut and finished the game 3-for-5 from the field and had two offensive rebounds. Nolan Groves added seven points while Bryan pulled down seven rebounds to go along with his 12 points.
Tech took a 47-37 lead into halftime after making six 3-pointers, including back-to-back 3s from Atwell to grab a 37-31 lead. The Red Raiders, who trailed by four with eight minutes left in the half, finished the opening 20 minutes shooting 6-for-12 on 3-pointers while Sam Houston was 4-for-8. Toppin led Tech with 14 points and six rebounds while Anderson had 13 points, four rebounds and three steals going into the break. Watts finished his first half with nine points and four rebounds and Atwell had six points with his two 3-pointers. Anderson was 3-for-4 on 3-pointers in the half and also 2-of-2 at the free-throw line. Toppin scored the game's first points on the opening possession and was 5-for-7 from the field to help Tech get out to the 10-point advantage. Â
The Red Raiders finished the night shooting 29-for-58 (50 percent) from the field and owned a 41-37 rebounding advantage. Defensively, Tech forced 14 turnovers and had a 19-12 scoring advantage off turnovers. Sam Houston shot 7-for-20 on 3-pointers and was limited to 14-of-20 at the free-throw line. Kashie Natt led the Bearkats with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Justin Begg topped the team with 17 points and five assists. Â
"You can tell we haven't practiced enough together to be at our best yet," McCasland said. "I love our team and the direction we're going. I thought a big stat for us, especially playing a physical team, was to make more free throws than they attempted. I thought our composure against their physicality was good."
Tech will return from Illinois next week and host Milwaukee on Friday, November 14 at United Supermarkets Arena.
Follow the Red Raiders: Keep up with Texas Tech men's basketball news at TexasTech.com and at the team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.
