Texas Tech Advances Past Akron in NCAA Tournament Opener

The fifth-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the No. 12 seed Akron Zips 91-71 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Tampa, Florida. Texas Tech played without All-America guard JT Toppin, who sustained an ACL tear last month. Despite this significant absence, five players scored in double figures for the Red Raiders.

Key Scorers

Jaylen Petty led Texas Tech with 24 points.

Christian Anderson contributed 18 points.
Josiah Moseley added 16 points.
Donovan Atwell scored 15 points.
LeJuan Watts had 14 points.

For Akron, Amani Lyles led with 26 points, and Shammah Scott scored 20.

Game Progression

Texas Tech effectively controlled the game's tempo and maintained a significant lead for much of the contest, fending off Akron's attempts to narrow the gap.

Second Half Dominance

The Red Raiders established an 11-point lead early in the second half with consecutive 3-pointers from Petty and Atwell. Akron managed to narrow the gap to 64-60 midway through the second half following a three-point play by Eric Mahaffey, but could not close further.

Texas Tech then extended its lead to 77-64 after a fast-break dunk by Petty, which was set up by Anderson's steal. Petty followed with a 3-pointer, increasing the lead to 16 points, and the Red Raiders maintained control for the remainder of the game.

First Half Dynamics

Akron did not score until over three minutes into the game. Texas Tech's largest first-half lead was 37-25, built during an 8-0 run. Akron responded with a 10-3 run to end the half, making the score 40-35 at halftime.

Tournament Outlook