In Lubbock (No 18) Texas Tech matched its largest Big 12 Conference margin of victory in program history with an 81-50 win over West Virginia on Monday at the United Supermarkets Arena after limiting the Mountaineers to 23.1 percent shooting and forcing 26 turnovers. The Red Raiders held the Mountaineers to 9-for-39 from the field to establish a new Big 12 record for fewest field goals allowed in a conference game topping the previous record of 10 when the Red Raiders held TCU to that total in 2014.
Texas Tech (18-5, 6-4 Big 12) improved to 13-1 at home with the win and swept the season series over WVU (10-13, 2-8 Big 12) for the first time since the Mountaineers joined the conference in 2013. TTU, which earned a 62-59 win over the Mountaineers back on Jan. 2 in Morgantown, West Virginia in the first meeting between the two teams, finished the game 30-for-57 (52.6 percent) and owned a 37-27 rebounding advantage. The only other 30-point Red Raider win in Big 12 play came in a 93-62 win over Baylor on Jan. 2, 1999.
Brandone Francis led Texas Tech with a season-high 16 points in a game where nine Red Raiders scored. Jarrett Culver finished the game with 12 points and Davide Moretti added 11 points and four assist from the starting lineup.
Texas Tech will return to action this weekend against Oklahoma with a 3 p.m. game on Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Arena in Norman, Oklahoma.