Kennesaw St. Owls vs Texas Tech Red Raiders Match Player Stats On Dec 13, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 13, 2017

Texas Tech won its first game as a ranked team this season, racing past Kennesaw State 82-53 on Wednesday night at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.

The No. 24 Red Raiders debuted in the Top 25 two weeks ago at No. 22 before getting handed an 89-76 loss Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden in New York. But upon re-entering the rankings, Texas Tech (8-1) opened up a 30-point lead in the first half and stiff-arming the Owls the rest of the way.

Guard Keenan Evans scored 16 to lead four Red Raiders in double digits. Forwards Tommy Hamilton and Zhaire Smith each finished with 11 and forward Justin Gray added 10.

Guard James Scott led Kennesaw State (1-8) with 19 points. Guard Tyler Hooker was the only other Owl in double digits with 14.

Texas Tech dominated the first half by clamping down on the defensive end. The Red Raiders kept up the pressure by using man-to-man defense and held the Owls to 21 percent shooting from the field, including only 1 of 8 from 3-point range.

Kennesaw State gave up 10 turnovers in the first half, and Texas Tech turned them into 17 points on the other end.

Smith put an exclamation point on one of the Red Raiders' transition baskets.

Evans got a steal and went the other way, dishing to Smith, who had a wide-open lane in front of him. The 6-foot-8 Smith threw down a windmill dunk that gave the Red Raiders a 22-8 lead with 11:45 left until halftime.

Scott scored 11 to pace Kennesaw State in the first 20 minutes. He hit a 3-pointer from the left side with four seconds left before the break, only the Owls fourth field goal of the game to that point. Scott's trey cut the Red Raiders' lead to 42-19 at the break.

NOTES: Kennesaw State coach Al Skinner led Boston College to a victory over then-Bob Knight-coached Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament first round in 2007. The seventh-seeded Eagles won 84-75 over the 10th-seeded Red Raiders in Winston-Salem, N.C. ... Texas Tech started a run of three straight games against opponents who have Owls as their mascots. Following the Kennesaw State game, the Red Raiders are slated to play the Rice Owls on Saturday and the Florida Atlantic Owls on Tuesday.