Texas Tech junior forward Darrion Williams scored a season-high 20 points and pulled down six rebounds as the Red Raiders (5-1) beat the Syracuse Orange 79-74 inside Barclays Center on Friday in the loser's bracket of the UKG Legends Classic.
JT Toppin scored 15 and matched Williams' six boards, Chance McMillian chipped in 13 and Elijah Hawkins scored 11 with six assists as the Red Raiders forced 12 turnovers and scored 18 points off them.
The Orange's J.J. Starling led all scorers with 27 on 9-of-15 shooting, Chris Bell made all 11 foul shots and chipped in 22 while Donnie Freeman pulled down 13 boards to go along with five points.
The Red Raiders let most of the first half with the largest lead of seven with just five minutes remaining before Starling came storming back with seven points in the final four minutes including a 3-pointer in the final minute for a 31-31 tie at halftime.
Tied at the half, McMillian hit back-to-back 3-pointers five minutes into the second frame as Tech built a lead with an 11-3 run. The Red Raiders led 59-47 with nine minutes left and held on for their fifth win of the season.
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Next up, the Red Raiders have a week off before they host Northern Colorado inside United Supermarkets Arena on Friday at 8 p.m. CT.
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Related: Red Raiders Fall to Saint Joseph's in Legends Classic; Syracuse Next