MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — JT Toppin had 22 points and nine rebounds and No. 13 Texas Tech broke a two-game losing skid with a 70-63 victory over West Virginia on Sunday.
Donovan Atwell added 15 points for the Red Raiders (17-6, 7-3 Big 12) and Christian Anderson had 13 points and 11 assists in his return from a one-game absence because of illness.
Brenen Lorient scored 20 points for West Virginia (15-9, 6-5), which lost for just the second time in 15 home games.
West Virginia scored the first four baskets after halftime, all on layups, to trim a 13-point deficit to 39-35, but the Mountaineers went the next four minutes without a basket and got no closer.
Texas Tech, which never trailed, kept distancing itself with a steady diet of 3-pointers. Jaylen Petty, Atwell and Toppin each hit from long distance in a span of less than two minutes, and the Red Raiders pushed their lead to 52-37 with 13:17 remaining.
Lorient scored nine points in the final four minutes, but West Virginia's comeback bid came up short.
The Red Raiders hit 13 3-pointers while West Virginia missed 20 of 22. The Mountaineers made just 13 of 23 free throws (57%).
Toppin, the Big 12's third-leading scorer at 21.8 points per game, was coming off a 10-point performance Monday against Kansas, his second lowest of the season.
