LUBBOCK — Keenan Evans and Niem Stevenson led five players in double figures with 16 points apiece as Texas Tech defeated visiting UTSA, 87-50, on Wednesday night at United Supermarkets Arena.
Jeff Beverly led the Roadrunners (2-7) with 10 points, while Byron Frohnen added eight points and five rebounds. UTSA scored 26 points in the paint and got 19 points from its bench.
Meanwhile, Evans went 7-of-10 from the floor for the Red Raiders (8-1), who extended their non-conference home winning streak to 26 games. Texas Tech shot 52.5 percent from the floor to become the first squad to shoot better than 50 percent against the Roadrunners this season.
The UTSA defense forced a pair of missed shots by the Red Raiders on their first possession, but Texas Tech hit nine of its next 12 attempts to fuel a 21-4 run to start the contest.
After the hot start by the Red Raiders, the Roadrunners switched to a zone defense and slowed the home squad while getting on track offensively. Jeff Beverly hit a 3-pointer before UTSA started to attack the paint, where they would score 14 points in the first half.
The team's final five baskets of the period came in the paint, including a driving layup with 3:54 to go in the half that forced a Texas Tech timeout.
But the Red Raiders would hit five of their final six shots before halftime to take a 42-21 advantage at the break.
UTSA played even with Texas Tech to start the second half, but the Red Raiders would go on a 15-2 run midway through the period that would put the game away.
Mitar Stanojevic provided a bright spot in the second half with five points, his first in a Roadrunners uniform, and a pair of rebounds in 13 minutes. However, UTSA could not make a run down the stretch as Texas Tech closed out the 87-50 final.
UTSA will return home for a 3 p.m. matchup with Southeastern Oklahoma State (4-5) on Saturday at the Convocation Center.
