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Damarion Dennis scores 22 in debut for No. 19 Texas Tech in 76-42 rout of Jackson State in opener
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- Damarion Dennis scores 22 in debut for No. 19 Texas Tech in 76-42 rout of Jackson State in opener
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Damarion Dennis scored a career-high 22 points in his Texas Tech debut, and the No. 19 Red Raiders opened the season with a 47th consecutive nonconference home win, beating Jackson State 76-42 on Monday night.
Cruz Davis, another transfer among nine newcomers after two seasons at Hofstra, had 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and a career-high six steals in the Red Raiders' 27th straight season-opening win.
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Dennis, a Wyoming transfer who grew up in Texas, came off the bench and was 8 of 12 from the field, including a career-best four 3-pointers.
Mike Williams scored 11 points for the Tigers, who are playing all 14 nonconference games on the road.
Jackson State shot 29% overall and 21% from 3, with 29 of 48 shots coming beyond the arc in Trey Johnson's debut as head coach almost 20 years after he led his alma mater to its most recent NCAA Tournament appearance.
Texas Tech started the season without All-America post player JT Toppin. He is still rehabbing after tearing the ACL in his right knee last February, and there isn't a timeline for his return.
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Darrion Williams was limited to one point with five rebounds in his return to the Red Raiders after leading N.C. State in scoring last season. Williams was on coach Grant McCasland's Elite Eight team in 2024-25.
Josiah Moseley, one of five returning players for Texas Tech, had 13 points and eight rebounds.
Dennis started a 16-2 run to close the first half with a 3-pointer and an alley-oop dunk from Davis. The Red Raiders led 38-18 at the break.
Texas Tech held a 29-6 edge in points off turnovers, getting 12 steals among 24 Jackson State turnovers.
Up next
Jackson State: At Tulane on Thursday.
Texas Tech: Hosts Bethune-Cookman on Thursday.
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This updates a previous version to correct the spelling of Josiah Moseley's last name.
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