The Utah Runnin” Utes faced a challenging match against the No. 15 Texas Tech Red Raiders on Wednesday night at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, resulting in an 88-74 defeat. This game marked Utah”s first visit to Texas Tech as a Big 12 member, but the outcome felt all too familiar for the Utes.
Throughout their two-year tenure in the conference, Utah has demonstrated competitiveness when playing against top-tier teams on the road. However, just as in previous encounters, the home team seized control with a dominant performance. Texas Tech transformed a tight one-point game into an 18-point lead, fueled by an impressive 18-1 scoring run in the first half, pushing the score to 42-24.
Despite trailing 50-38 at halftime, the Utes managed to narrow the gap in the second half, only getting outscored by two points. However, Utah fell to 0-4 in conference play as their defensive struggles continued. The Utes lacked the physicality required to be effective defensively, allowing Texas Tech to shoot 57.1 percent in the first half and 51.4 percent overall. Additionally, Utah recorded only 10 assists compared to 13 turnovers, while the Red Raiders boasted a season-high 22 assists against just 10 turnovers.
“Our focus is we”ve got to defend and have more assists than turnovers, and I think we”ll give ourselves a better chance,” Utah coach Alex Jensen stated during the postgame press conference.
The Red Raiders were led by their standout duo of JT Toppin and Christian Anderson. Toppin scored a game-high 31 points on 14 of 23 shooting while contributing 13 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks, and a steal. Utah struggled to find a defender who could match up with the 6-foot-9 forward, who showcased why he was named the Big 12 preseason player of the year. This game marked his sixth consecutive double-double.
“He can make up any mistake that their guards make on the perimeter, on defense. First jump is great. Second jump is so quick, defensively and offensively, he”s hard to deal with,” Chillious commented on Toppin”s performance.
Anderson added 26 points, tying his season high with six three-pointers, along with 10 assists, three rebounds, and two blocks. “He”s the heartbeat of the team, and he does a good job of distributing and also shooting,” Jensen remarked about Anderson”s impact.
While Texas Tech”s bench contributed only two points, another starter, Donovan Atwell, added 12 points and five rebounds. Utah was out-rebounded 41-28, with Texas Tech holding a 14-6 advantage in second-chance points, stemming from their dominance on the offensive glass, where they led 13-6.
The pivotal 18-1 run by the Red Raiders came after Utah managed to recover from an early 15-6 deficit to briefly lead 20-19, only to see their efforts unravel soon after. “We were getting punched out early, came back … and then we took, I think, our shot selection at that point helped their next run,” Chillious explained.
Despite the setback, Utah managed to deliver an entertaining showcase of three-point shooting, tying their season high by hitting 12 of 25 attempts. Meanwhile, Texas Tech connected on 13 of 31 shots from beyond the arc. Keanu Dawes recorded a career-high four three-pointers during his 18-point performance, which also included nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Don McHenry also contributed with three three-pointers for a total of 18 points, while freshmen Kendyl Sanders and Obomate Abbey each added two from long range.
Texas Tech”s three-point scoring was concentrated among just three players, with Anderson making 6 of 11 attempts, Atwell hitting four, and Toppin sinking three.
Looking ahead, Utah will return home to face TCU on Saturday at noon MST before hitting the road again for two games next week against Kansas State and No. 11 BYU. Chillious expressed optimism that the Utes will continue to fight in search of their first conference victory. “I think I said tonight — it”s coming. As long as they keep fighting and show resolve, pass the ball, trust each other, and execute the scout, it”s coming,” he said. “It may not come as fast as we wanted to, but hopefully it”s coming Saturday.”
