When Utah visited United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas on Wednesday night for the first time as a Big 12 member, the Utes’ 88-74 loss to No. 15 Texas Tech had a familiar feel.
Over the past two years since joining the league, any time Utah has played an upper-tier conference school on the road, the Utes have shown they can be competitive in stretches.
Then, in typical fashion, the home team has taken control with a few minutes (or more) of dominant play.
That was the case again against the Red Raiders, as Texas Tech turned a one-point game into an 18-point lead with an 18-1 run in the first half to make the score 42-24.
Sure, there were 20-plus minutes left to play, but the result felt like it had already been written against a veteran-led Texas Tech squad.
“They make the extra pass, and those guys made shots tonight. I think a lot of teams have a tough time with them on nights that they’re making shots, because they can all shoot it,” Utah assistant coach Raphael Chillious said during a postgame interview on ESPN 700.
Utah went into the half trailing 50-38 and was only outscored by two points in the second half, but the Utes (8-9, 0-4 Big 12) stayed winless in conference play after their defense struggled again.
Utah simply isn’t physical enough on that end, and Texas Tech (13-4, 3-1 Big 12) made them pay, shooting 57.1% in the first half and 51.4% for the game.
The Utes also finished with just 10 assists, to 13 turnovers.
Texas Tech was on the other end of that spectrum, ending the game with a season-high tying 22 assists and only 10 turnovers.
“Our focus is we’ve got to defend and have more assist than turnovers, and I think we’ll give ourselves a better chance,” Utah coach Alex Jensen told reporters.
The Red Raiders were paced by their all-Big 12 duo of JT Toppin and Christian Anderson.
Toppin scored a game-high 31 points on 14 of 23 shooting, as Utah didn’t have anyone who could match up with the 6-foot-9 forward. He dominated the game in a variety of ways, adding 13 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks and a steal.
The Runnin’ Utes got a front-row view of why Toppin was named the Big 12 preseason player of the year. He had his sixth straight game with a double-double.
“He can make up any mistake that their guards make on the perimeter, on defense. First jump is great. Second jump is so quick, defensively and offensively, he’s hard to deal with,” Chillious said of Toppin.
“He just anticipates everything. He’s quick and he’s maybe six eight, but he’s super long.”
Anderson, meanwhile, dropped 26 points while tying his season high with six 3-point makes. He also had a double-double with 10 assists and added three rebounds and two blocks.
“He’s the heartbeat of the team, and he does a good job of distributing and also shooting,” Jensen said of Anderson.
Texas Tech only got two points from its bench, but it hardly mattered as another starter, Donovan Atwell, scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Utah lacked physicality on the defensive end and was out-rebounded 41-28, including 13-6 on the offensive glass, leading to Texas Tech owning a 14-6 edge in second-chance points.
That 18-1 run for the Red Raiders was also deflating — it came after Utah overcame a 15-6 deficit to briefly take a 20-19 lead, only to have things fall apart soon after.
“We were getting punched out early, came back ... and then we took I think our shot selection at that point helped their next run,” Chillious said. “Sometimes our shots or turnovers led to their transition. When they get in transition, they’re tremendous because they spread out.”
If there is one prevailing positive for the Utes to take away, it’s again a familiar one: The Utes fought back, time and again. It’s just that Utah’s margin for error is razor-thin, and Texas Tech took advantage.
One of the more entertaining parts of the night was a 3-point showcase from both teams. Utah tied its season high by taking 12 of 25, while Texas Tech hit 13 of 31, its 12th time this season making 10 or more.
Keanu Dawes hit a career-high four 3-pointers as part of his 18-point night that included nine rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Don McHenry made three 3-pointers and had 18 points, while freshmen Kendyl Sanders and Obomate Abbey each made two from long range.
Texas Tech got its 3-point shots from just three players. Anderson made 6 of 11, Atwell hit four and Toppin made three.
Utah will return home to play TCU on Saturday (noon MST, TNT). Then, the Utes hit the road again for two games next week, at Kansas State and No. 11 BYU.
Chillious maintained that Utah will keep fighting as it searches for its first conference win.
“I think I said tonight — it’s coming. As long as they keep fighting and (show) resolve and pass the ball and trust each other and trust the game plan, execute the scout, it’s coming," the assistant coach said. “It may not come as fast as we wanted to. Hopefully it’s coming Saturday, but it’s coming.”