No. 22 Texas Tech opens Big 12 play with 85-50 win over OSU

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech returned only one starter after sharing the Big 12 title and making it to the national championship game last season.

The No. 22 Red Raiders still got off to a big start in conference play.

Freshman Jahmi'us Ramsey scored 18 points while making four 3-pointers and the Red Raiders pulled away for an 85-50 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday, their most lopsided margin of victory ever in a Big 12 game.

Still, coach Chris Beard had a reminder for his team, which has several talented freshmen and a couple of transfers.

“These games are so hard to win. I was trying to explain it to these young guys in the locker room a few minutes ago,” Beard said. “Winning never gets old. You never take it for granted. Sometimes when things go your way and you have a big margin of victory, you kind of forget how hard it was to win this game.”

Texas Tech (10-3, 1-0 Big 12) went ahead to stay with 11 points in a row late in the first half. After Lindy Waters III made a jumper for Oklahoma State right after halftime, Texas Tech scored 15 in a row, with Ramsey hitting two 3s before his run-ending two free throws made it 51-32 with 15 1/2 minutes left.

“Stay the course,” Beard told his team at halftime. “Proud of them. Turned it into a 20-minute game."

TJ Holyfield, a grad transfer from Stephen F. Austin, added 17 points for the Red Raiders, while Davide Moriette, the only returning starter, and Terrence Shannon each had 13. Chris Clarke had 10 rebounds.

“We all work hard and trust the process,” Holyfield said.

Waters had 13 points and was the only player in double figures for the Cowboys (9-4, 0-1), who shot 29% (15 of 52).

“I thought we got some good looks,” Cowboys coach Mike Boynton Jr. said. “The first half I think we were 5 of 13 from 3 and we were 4 for 15 from 2. Against them, if you don’t make the good ones you get, you’re certainly not getting the contested ones. So we just got to figure out how to play more fluid offensively.”

Waters had his jumper after halftime and made two 3-pointers before another Oklahoma State player scored in the second half. It was 70-41 when Johnathan Laurent made a 3-pointer with just over seven minutes left.

In the first half, Avery Anderson's jumper with 6 1/2 minutes left put Oklahoma State up 26-25. Two free throws by Moretti started the Tech run. The Cowboys, meanwhile, missed five shots in a row and seven of eight to end the half.

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys made five 3-pointers in the first 12 1/2 minutes, eerily similar for Texas Tech to a game last season when Oklahoma State made 17 of 32 from long range. But the Pokes made only four more the rest of the game. ... The Cowboys struggled in their previous losses with Isaac Likekele not playing. But they were at full strength for the conference opener and slipped badly.

Texas Tech: Strong starts have been rare in Lubbock, but Texas Tech did just that to begin the first and second halves. They have won five games in a row, starting with the win over then-top-ranked Louisville in New York. Clarke, a Virginia Tech transfer, continues to impress off the bench.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State returns home with to host No. 16 West Virginia on Monday night.

Texas Tech gets an early Big 12 test at home Tuesday night against No. 6 Baylor.

---

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP-Top25