CINCINNATI — In a thrilling match on Tuesday night, Texas Tech emerged victorious against Cincinnati with a final score of 81-71. The team’s standout was JT Toppin, who played a pivotal role by scoring 14 of his total 20 points in the second half. Freshman Christian Anderson also shined, recording 18 points which included a remarkable four 3-pointers, matching his season-high. Texas Tech improved their record to 14-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12 conference, with Chance McMillian contributing 17 points after hitting three shots from beyond the arc, along with Kevin Overton, who added 14 points to the scoreboard.

The Bearcats were led by Jizzle James, who delivered an impressive performance, netting 17 points which marked his highest scoring in a conference game this season. Dillon Mitchell chipped in with 12 points, while Simas Lukosius rounded out the scoring with 10 points, though he struggled from the field, hitting just 1 of 7 attempts, while making 7 of 8 free throws. Cincinnati started strong, showcasing a quick 14-5 run that put them ahead by seven points shortly into the game, thanks to contributions from James, Mitchell, and Day Day Thomas.

Texas Tech experienced a rough start, managing to make only two of their first 11 shots, but surged back after that, hitting 13 of their next 18 attempts. Anderson was especially pivotal during this stretch and helped the Red Raiders take a 42-38 lead into halftime, after which they never trailed again. Despite a late attempt to close the gap, where Cincinnati utilized an 8-2 run to reduce their deficit to five with less than seven minutes remaining, McMillian’s timely 3-pointer thwarted any comeback efforts from the Bearcats.

With just over three minutes left, Toppin solidified Texas Tech’s command in the match, completing a three-point play that extended their lead to 75-63. Cincinnati managed to shoot a solid 52% from the floor, achieving 27 successful shots out of 52 attempts, while limiting Texas Tech to a shooting percentage of 45%. However, the Red Raiders’ proficiency from beyond the arc, hitting 12 3-pointers, proved to be the difference, particularly as Cincinnati struggled to convert on their own outside shots, landing only 3 of 14 attempts from three-point range.