With a swift hook of his arm, John Roberson flicked the ball across half court to a lonely David Tairu under Tech’s basket. In seeming slow motion, Tairu stretched one hand up and slammed the ball through the net.

The basket, giving Tech a 20-point lead, sealed Saturday’s win against Lamar even though more than 11 minutes remained in the game.

Texas Tech won 77-54, improving to 5-0 on the season. The Red Raiders used a combination of fast breaks and long-range shots to own the second half after leading by 10 at the break.

“I thought we pressed ourselves a little bit, took some quick shots early on in the game,” coach Pat Knight said. “I told them at halftime to just relax.”

John A. Bowersmith/Avalanche-Journal

Nick Okorie led the Red Raiders with 19 points, including 7-of-9 free throw shooting. D’walyn Roberts narrowly missed his second consecutive double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while John Roberson scored 11 points on 5-of-10 field goal shooting.

Charlie Harper was Lamar’s only double-digit scorer with 12 points and seven rebounds. Justin Nabors added nine points and 10 rebounds.

The Red Raiders shot 45.5 percent from the 3-point line, up from its average of 28 percent this season heading into the game. Knight said he was happy with the team’s ability to find middle- and long-range jumpers.

“I think it was just us reading the defense,” Roberson said. “It was open, so we were taking shots.”

Yet, Tech’s shooting sagged early on, as the Red Raiders missed 12 of their first 17 field goal attempts. Lamar led 8-6 and 10-8 early in the game, and Charlie Harper made back to back shots to give Lamar a 19-16 lead 10 minutes into the game.

The Red Raiders tried to use the fast-break offense that worked through their first four games, causing 11 Cardinal turnovers in the first half.

Brad Reese made a pair of 3-pointers to help Tech to a 23-19 lead with 7:31 left in the half. Tech used a 12-1 run to pull away, leading 28-20 with 4:33 before the break.

Lamar slowed down Tech’s offense, and while the score at half was 36-26, Tech’s lead included three free throws in the last two minutes and a three-quarter-court shot at the buzzer by Nick Okorie.

“Hitting the lucky shot from half-court is always a dagger,” Knight said. “It gives you momentum.”

Texas Tech improved its shooting as the half unfolded, making 40.6 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes; Lamar made just one fewer field goal. The Red Raiders, however, went 7-of-12 from the free throw line, while the Cardinals were just 1-of-6.

Lawrence Nwevo made a jumper to open the second half, but Tech took over the scoring from there with 10 consecutive points to build a 46-28 lead with 16:10 to go.

Tech outscored Lamar 20-8 in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
“I was glad our guys, instead of letting them back in, giving them confidence, letting them cut it to four or six, we were able to add to the lead,” Knight said. “That’s always big.”

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