JT Toppin Helps No. 13 Texas Tech Seal 70-63 Win at West Virginia

JT Toppin had 22 points and nine rebounds and No. 13 Texas Tech broke a two-game losing skid with a 70-63 victory over West Virginia on Sunday. Donovan Atwell added 15 points for the Red Raiders (17-6, 7-3 Big 12) and Christian Anderson had 13 points and 11 assists in his return from a one-game absence because of illness. Brenen Lorient scored 20 points for West Virginia (15-9, 6-5), which lost for just the second time in 15 home games. West Virginia scored the first four baskets after halftime, all on layups, to trim a 13-point deficit to 39-35, but the Mountaineers went the next four minutes without a basket and got no closer. Texas Tech, which never trailed, kept distancing itself with a steady diet of 3-pointers. Jaylen Petty, Atwell and Toppin each hit from long distance in a span of less than two minutes, and the Red Raiders pushed their lead to 52-37 with 13:17 remaining. Lorient scored nine points in the final four minutes, but West Virginia’s comeback bid came up short. The Red Raiders hit 13 3-pointers while West Virginia missed 20 of 22. The Mountaineers made just 13 of 23 free throws (57%). Toppin, the Big 12’s third-leading scorer at 21.8 points per game, was coming off a 10-point performance Monday against Kansas, his second lowest of the season. West Virginia leading scorer Honor Huff was held to six points, 10 under his average. The game was a reunion between West Virginia first-year coach Ross Hodge and mentor Grant McCasland. Hodge was an assistant under McCasland for seven seasons at Arkansas State and North Texas, taking over for the Mean Green when McCasland became Texas Tech’s coach in 2023. Next, Texas Tech hosts Colorado on Wednesday, and West Virginia plays at UCF on Saturday. Reporting by The Associated Press.