Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn scored a game-high 25 points, Cruz Davis added 15 and No. 19 Texas Tech outlasted Bethune-Cookman 76-58 on Thursday in Lubbock, Texas.
Josiah Moseley added 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Red Raiders (2-0), who extended their nonconference home winning streak to 48 games.
Donovan Atwell scored all nine of his points in the second half on three 3-pointers. Texas Tech made six of its nine 3-pointers after halftime, while Bethune-Cookman made five during its comeback attempt.
Connor Teasley tallied 11 points, while Jaylen Jones and Vuk Boskovic scored 10 apiece for the Wildcats (0-2). Bethune-Cookman, the preseason pick to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference, twice pulled within six points in the second half to make the Red Raiders sweat.
The Wildcats trailed by nine with eight minutes remaining before Darrion Williams and Atwell buried consecutive 3-pointers for Texas Tech. Moseley added a jump shot a minute later to make it a 65-48 game.
Bethune-Cookman stayed within striking distance, but Atwell’s final 3-pointer and another by Gibbs-Lawhorn down the stretch put the Red Raiders out of reach.
Gibbs-Lawhorn kicked off an 8-0 personal run with an athletic dunk around the 10-minute mark of the first half. He added a 3-pointer and three free throws as part of his 16-point first-half performance, helping the Red Raiders build a lead of as many as 17 points.
The Wildcats made just 4 of 19 shots to start the game before getting their offense on track. Eight free throws helped them stay within striking distance before Teasley beat the first-half buzzer with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 37-24.
Daniel Johnson then knocked down a 3-pointer on the first possession of the second half to make it a 10-point game. Boskovic added a pair of baskets around Jameel Morris’ three-point play to bring the Wildcats within 41-34.
Atwell responded with his first 3-pointer of the season at the 16:39 mark.
However, Jones and Boskovic hit consecutive 3-pointers to turn a 12-point deficit into a 48-42 game with less than 12 minutes remaining.
Texas Tech gradually rebuilt its lead to 10 before delivering the finishing flourish.