West Virginia (15-9, 6-5) dropped just its second game in front of a home crowd on Sunday against No. 13 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders (17-6, 7-3) were too much for the Mountaineers to handle, winning 70-63.
Notably, Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff were held in-check this game, with both combining for just 11 points. Read more: Texas Tech too much for WVU, 70-63.
As for the Red Raiders, leading Big 12 Player of the Year candidate JT Toppin had another dominant performance. He finished with a team-high 22 points and nine rebounds.
First half
The Red Raiders won the tip, but they wouldn’t get on the scoreboard until WVU’s Honor Huff turned it over on their offensive possession. Donovan Atwell managed to take advantage of it with a quick three.
Harlan Obioha got the Mointaineers on the board of the following possession after sinking one of his two free throws. Both teams exchanged misses after that, but it was Atwell once again who knocked down another triple for the Red Raiders. After sinking it late in the shot clock, heac coach Ross Hodge angrily called his first timeout of the contest.
After the timeout, Amir Jenkins scored WVU’s first official basket of the afternoon after draining a heavily contested mid-range jumper. The first media timeout ensued shortly after.
Brenen Lorient managed to get the WVU faithful on their feet after throwing down a monstrous alley oop following the stoppage. Texas Tech responded well by draining back-to-back threes to keep the home crowd at bay.
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Jasper Floyd and Lorient were able to both connect on consecutive layups that brought their deficit down to one score. Texas Tech responded once again with a five-point run of their own.
However, Chance Moore began to make his presence known by scoring seven points in a two-minute span that allowed WVU to go into the second media timeout down just four points.
After an uneventful stretch between media timeouts, the Red Raiders added three more points to their lead after a made three from Atwell off a baseline out-of-bounds play. The Red Raiders continued their run with a layup from LeJuan Watts and a three-pointer from Toppin.
Crucial closing minutes
Lorient managed to quiet the run with a crafty drop step layup in the post, which sent the game into the final media timeout of the first half. Texas Tech controlled a 30-21 lead at this point.
Toppin continued to help add to Texas Tech’s lead after the break with a quick layup. Lorient matched it with his own layup to momentarily reduce WVU’s deficit to nine. TTU’s Jaylen Petty immediately drained a three to boost his team’s lead back to double digits.
After Christian Anderson connected on a mid-range jumper, Eaglestaff knocked down a crucial corner three. That was his first bucket of the half. However, Toppin scored the last points of the half with a smooth 12-foot turnaround jump shot.
The Mountaineers went into the break down 39-27 after the final Toppin bucket.
Second half
West Virginia started the second half in hot fashion, scoring eight unanswered points. TTU’s head coach, Grant McCasland, was forced to call a timeout at the 16:55 mark.
The Red Raiders came back alive after that, able to drain a three right out of the timeout. After two free throws from Harlan Obioha, Atwell connected on another deep three.
Once the 16:00-minute media timeout transpired, Toppin added to Texas Tech’s run with a three-pointer of his own. He added another two to his total following a shot clock violation from the Mountaineers.
Obioha and Huff both connected on their free throws, but Toppin continued to dominate in the second half with another bucket in the paint. The Red Raiders went into the 12-minute media timeout with a comfortable 54-41 lead.
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The next four minutes were mostly spent on the free-throw line with Huff sinking two free throws. Toppin also connected on two of his own free throws.
Obioha finished a contested layup at the 8:29 mark that helped get the Mountaineer fans back on their feet. However, Petty hit TTU’s 12th triple of the afternoon right before the 8-minute intermission.
Despite commanding a 12-point lead, the Red Raiders came out of the break and committed a turnover. That led to Huff getting fouled and making his fifth and sixth free throws of the game.
Following a bad pass from Lorient, Petty converted a quick layup on the other end to get Texas Tech’s 12-point lead. Following an offensive foul called on Obioha, TTU opted to call a timeout with 5:39 left.
After Moore could only convert on one of his free throws, Toppin finished an easy dunk on the other end. That forced Coach Hodge to call another timeout with his team down 63-50.
Final minutes
Down late with the final four minutes to go, the Mountaineers began to put together their final push. Lorient and Floyd managed to connect on back-to-back twos.
Hope Coliseum began to erupt as their home squad managed to cut the lead down to single digits. Despite that, Anderson drained a clutch corner three.
Lorient was able to answer with a layup, but it was all but over for the Mountaineers anyway.
Both teams exchanged free throws in the closing minute, but it was the Red Raiders who eventually capped off the 70-63 win.
Top performers
WVU: Brenen Lorient- Led the Mountaineers in scoring with 21. Showcased the ability to score at all three levels throughout the whole game.
TTU: JT Toppin- Another dominant game for the future NBA draftee, scoring a team high 22 points and nine rebounds. WVU could not contain him at all in the second half, scoring 13 of his total points during that time.
TTU: Donovan Atwell- Second on the team in scoring with 15. Connected on four shots from behind the three-point line, while only missing one all game.
What’s next
West Virginia has a five-day break until its next game. The Valentine’s Day matchup will have the Mountaineers taking on the UCF Knights in Morgantown. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
As always, you can stay up to date with every aspect of WVU athletics right here at wvsportsnation.com.
