LUBBOCK, Texas – JT Toppin recorded a dominant double-double with a career-high 41 points and 15 rebounds, while Darrion Williams added a season-high 27 points to lead No. 12 Texas Tech to a 111-106 double-overtime victory over Arizona State on Wednesday at United Supermarkets Arena.
The Red Raiders (19-5, 10-2 Big 12) improved to 2-1 in overtime games this season. Chance McMillian forced the extra period with a putback in the final second of regulation, and Williams extended the game to a second overtime with a jumper at the 25-second mark. Texas Tech held a 107-106 lead after an ASU layup with 50 seconds remaining before sealing the win by making 4 of 6 free throws and Toppin recording two late steals.
“We weren’t taking no for an answer,” Toppin said. “We just wanted to win. We weren’t going out like that at home.”
McMillian finished with 14 points, going 7-for-7 at the free-throw line. Kerwin Walton contributed 13 points, while Christian Anderson added 10 points and five assists as five Red Raiders reached double figures. Walton, who was scoreless in the first half, erupted for 13 of Tech’s first 15 points after halftime. He shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range as Tech hit 10 of 26 from beyond the arc.
Elijah Hawkins led Texas Tech with seven assists and grabbed six rebounds. The Red Raiders held a 38-27 rebounding edge, with Toppin securing seven of his 15 boards on the offensive glass. He shot 17-for-22 from the field, scoring eight of his 41 points in the two overtime periods.
Toppin’s 41 points were the most by any Big 12 player this season and the highest for a Texas Tech player since Jarrius Jackson’s 41-point performance at Nebraska in 2006. His 17 made field goals set a new Texas Tech Big 12 record and were one shy of the overall program mark of 18, shared by Dub Malaise (1966) and Jim Reed (1954).
Williams shot 10-for-18 from the field, 2-for-4 from 3-point range, and 5-for-6 at the free-throw line. His performance came exactly one year after scoring a career-high 30 points on 12-for-12 shooting against Kansas.
“I think we all just want to win at the end of the day,” Williams said. “Toward the end of overtime, we got the stops we needed. Just had a will to win.”
McMillian’s putback at the end of regulation forced overtime at 90-90, and he later hit two free throws with 27 seconds left in the second overtime for a 110-106 lead. The Red Raiders shot 57.4% from the field (39-for-68) and 71.9% at the free-throw line (23-for-32) while outscoring Arizona State 50-40 in the paint.
The Sun Devils (12-12, 3-10 Big 12) kept pace throughout, shooting 55.6% from the floor (40-for-72) and 48.1% from 3-point range (13-for-27).
“The atmosphere, as always, is the difference in these wins,” McCasland said. “Just the energy in the building to get stops.”
Texas Tech now begins a two-game road trip, facing Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. Saturday in Stillwater before a matchup with TCU at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Fort Worth. The Red Raiders will return home for Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 22, against West Virginia. They will meet Arizona State again in the regular-season finale on March 8 in Tempe.
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