LUBBOCK, Texas -- Justin Gray scored 13 points and Devaugntah Williams added 11 to lift Texas Tech past Arkansas-Pine Bluff 72-51 on Friday night.
The victory gave the Red Raiders (9-1) their ninth consecutive victory at home and moves them to 2-0 at the Las Vegas Classic.
Texas Tech pulled away slowly in the second half as the Golden Lions' shooting fell off considerably.
Ghiavonni Robinson scored 17 points and Marcel Mosely added 14 for the Golden Lions (2-9).
The taller Red Raiders dominated on the defensive boards, outrebounding UAPB 37-25, and got the ball inside for 30 points.
Texas Tech has relied regularly on its bench this season, and Friday's game was no different as the Red Raiders got 36 points from nonstarters.
Texas Tech scored 16 second-chance points off 10 offensive rebounds, compared to four points off seven offensive rebounds for the Golden Lions.
The Golden Lions fell behind by 20 points after a four-minute drought midway through the second half. Texas Tech's shooting got more accurate while the Golden Lions' accuracy waned. The Red Raiders shot 48 percent on 23-of-48 shooting from the field. The Golden Lions hit just 31 percent from the field, making 15 of 48 field goals.
The Golden Lions failed to get their second consecutive road victory after getting their first in seven tries after defeating Houston in overtime Wednesday, giving the Cougars their first home loss in five games.
It was the first-ever meeting of the programs. UAPB is 0-18 against Big 12 opponents.
The Red Raiders led by 10 points once and nine three times in the first half, including a 35-26 at halftime, but couldn't separate themselves further from the Golden Lions.
Marcel Mosely, UAPB's leading scorer, was held to five points on two shots from the field.
Texas Tech struggled against the Golden Lions' zone defense but still managed to get 14 points in the paint -- all layups. They scored nine points off nine turnovers by UAPB while yielding just three points off their seven turnovers.
Free throws were the difference in the first half. The Red Raiders hit 12 of 18 while the Golden Lions made only 4 of 6 from the line.
Mosely, coming off a career-high 33 points in an overtime victory at Houston on Wednesday night, was held below his season average of 17.9 points per game, which coming into the game led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in scoring. He was 3 of 14 from the field after being the high scorer in seven of the team's past 10 games before Friday.
Sports on 12/20/2014