Instant Recap: Strong second half leads to Red Raiders blowout

The No. 21 Texas Tech Red Raiders dominated the second half and beat the Florida Atlantic Owls by a score of 90-54. The Red Raiders struggled through the first half and only lead by a score of 40-33 at halftime. The Red Raiders forced 19 total turnovers and wore the Owls out in the second half and eventually were able to break the Owls and eventually blow them out.

What Impressed

Depth was the most impressive thing about the Red Raiders this game. Florida Atlantic had some really talented players in Ronald Delph and Justin Massey, but they alone couldn’t keep up with the Red Raiders endless depth. The Red Raiders were able to tire out the Owls, which is one of the main keys to a win that I had to win this game for the Red Raiders. I was also impressed with Tommy Hamilton IV coming off the bench. He gave the Red Raiders a spark off the bench and was influential in increasing the lead in the second the half. Hamilton had career highs in points and rebounds with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

The Red Raiders also spread the ball around to everyone as SIX Red Raiders were in double digits including a career-high 14 points from Davide Moretti. Defensively, the Red Raiders in the second half played flawlessly. They turned the Owls over so much and those turnovers turned into so many opportunities on the offensive end.

What Disappointed

The stagnant zone offense that had trouble getting going in the middle of the first half. I have to give Coach Beard and his coaching staff credit for making adjustments later in the first half and these adjustments along with the depth are one of the main reasons that Red Raiders were able to blow out the Owls.

Player of the Game

Jarrett Culver is my Player of the Game. Tonight was Culver’s first start in a Red Raider uniform and he played wonderfully. Culver started in the place of Zach Smith and scored 11 points, had three boards, two assists, two blocks, and four steals. He also had no turnovers and played the most complete game of all the Red Raiders. That garners him my Player of the Game.

Final Take

The Red Raiders faced adversity in the first half as the Owls’ 2-3 zone was giving Tech’s offense fits. The adjustments that Beard and his staff made were some of the best all season and that helped the Red Raiders blow out a good team. The entire team deserves credit as the ball was shared evenly all evening. The team shot better from the three-point and free-throw line as the Red Raiders shot 14-26 from three and 12-18 from the free-throw line. I’m ready for Big 12 play, are you?