Walton scores 22 points off the bench and Texas Tech drubs Omaha 87-58
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Reserve Kerwin Walton scored 22 points on a near-perfect shooting night, Joe Toussaint scored 18 points and Texas Tech beat Omaha 87-58 on Tuesday.
Walton finished 8-for-9 shooting including 6 for 7 from 3-point range. Pop Isaacs added 13 points for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech was 29-for-58 (50%) shooting and made 18 of 20 (90%) foul shots. Warren Washington grabbed 12 rebounds for Texas Tech (6-2).
Marquel Sutton scored 15 points, Frankie Fidler 12 and reserve Jaeden Marshall 10 for Omaha.
Chance McMillian, Walton and Darrion Williams each made 3-pointers in a four-possession span and the Red Raiders turned an 8-5 deficit into a 14-8 advantage and they gradually pulled away from there.
Devan Cambridge made it a 10-point lead at 20-10 with 11:45 before halftime. Isaacs marked the first 20-plus point lead (35-14) six minutes later and the lead was 42-22 at halftime.
Texas Tech maintained its hearty lead throughout the second half, and Lamar Johnson's jump shot with 4:39 left marked the Red Raider's first 30-plus point lead of the game, 78-47.
Omaha travels to face Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Saturday.
Texas Tech has almost a week off when it hosts Oral Roberts on Dec. 12.
Cartier, Clifford and Stevens help No. 13 Colorado State hold off Denver 90-80 to remain unbeaten
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Isaiah Stevens couldn't find his rhythm early. He sure did late.
That's just what leaders do.
Stevens scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half, Nique Clifford started a pivotal run late in the second half and No. 13 Colorado State rallied for a 90-80 win over Denver on Wednesday night to remain unbeaten.
The Rams (9-0) never could gain much separation from the pesky Pioneers (6-4), who entered the game as 20 1/2-point underdogs. Clifford paced a 7-0 run with a corner 3-pointer and a thunderous dunk that fueled the frenzied crowd at Moby Arena. Denver was called for a late intentional foul on a fast-break and a technical that allowed the Rams to stretch the lead after trailing by four midway through the second half.
“We definitely didn’t roll our ‘A’ game, but give a lot of credit to Denver,” Colorado State coach Niko Medved said. “We’re going to get everyone’s ultimate focus and intensity. We've got to be at our best every game.”
Stevens started just 1 of 7 from the field in the first half, with his shots hitting all parts of the rim before popping out. That changed in the second half, when he went 5 for 5 from the floor. He also finished with nine assists.
“Stevens did what great players do — they take over games when they’re in question late,” Pioneers coach Jeff Wulbrun said. “He just made big basket after big basket, I thought, down the stretch. He's as good as any point guard in the country.”
Patrick Cartier scored 19 points for the Rams.
Tommy Bruner, the Summit League peak performer for the month of November, had 28 points and eights assists for Denver. The Pioneers haven’t beaten a ranked team on the road since knocking off No. 13 Oregon in 1971.
The Rams tried to counteract the torrid early shooting of Denver by utilizing their inside game. The Rams finished with a 42-28 margin in points in the paint.
“We never got discouraged,” Wulbrun said. "Maybe disappointed, but we didn’t get discouraged."
Colorado State was missing Josiah Strong and Jalen Lake due to injuries.
“It always hurts not having some of your key guys," said Clifford, whose team was coming off consecutive wins over Boston College, No. 10 Creighton, Colorado and Washington. “But that's part of college basketball.”
Bruner helped the Pioneers to a 39-35 lead at halftime with 15 first-half points. Denver hit eight 3-pointers in the opening half, including one by Touko Tainamo just before the buzzer sounded.
BIG PICTURE
Denver: Cooled down after such a hot start from long range. The Pioneers were 2 of 7 from 3-point range in the second half. “We did a much better job of challenging (3-pointers)," Medved said. “They made us pay in the first half every time we remotely had a hand down.”
Colorado State: Both the men's and women's basketball teams remain undefeated. The men are 9-0 for the second time in three seasons.
MOMENT OF SILENCE
Before the game, the UNLV logo was shown on the video board and fans observed a moment of silence for everyone impacted by a mass shooting earlier Wednesday at the Las Vegas school. UNLV's game at Dayton on Wednesday was canceled.
UP NEXT
Denver: At No. 14 BYU next Wednesday.
Colorado State: Host Saint Mary’s on Saturday.