MENS BASKETBALL
Texas Tech 85, Arizona State 57
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEMPE, Ariz. - JT Toppin had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 9 Texas Tech pulled away from Arizona State for an 85-57 victory in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday. Freshman guard Christian Anderson tied a season high with 21 points and made four 3-pointers off the bench for the Red Raiders (24-7, 15-5 Big 12), who set a school record for conference wins. Toppin, a top contender for Big 12 Player of the Year, had his 14th double-double of the season. Kerwin Walton added 11 points and three 3-pointers for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech had clinched the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament when Kansas beat Arizona earlier Saturday. Basheer Jihad equaled a career high with 22 points and Joson Sanon had 16 for the Sun Devils (13-18, 4-16), who have lost 10 of 11. Anderson’s 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer gave the Red Raiders a 36-32 lead, and they outscored Arizona State 49-25 in the second half. Toppin had 41 points in the first meeting Feb. 12, when the Red Raiders set a program record for points in a conference game in a 111-106 overtime victory in Lubbock. THE TAKEAWAY
Texas Tech: Set a school record with its 15th conference victory in the expanded Big 12. The Red Raiders were 14-4 in league play in 2019. Arizona State: Played without leading scorer BJ Freeman and Adam Miller, who combined for 43 points in the overtime loss at Lubbock. KEY MOMENT
Toppin had a rebound, a three-point play, an assist, a blocked shot and a tip-in in a 96-second span midway through the second half for a 10-point lead, kick-starting the Red Raiders’ second-half run. KEY STAT
Texas Tech made 12 3-pointers and has hit at least 10 in 19 games this season, another record. The team averages 10.1 per game, second in the Big 12.
March 8, 2025