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No. 16 Texas Tech holds off No. 3 Illinois 84-78, the biggest nonconference home win in program history

By Jerry Rodriquez
Text graphic: No. 16 Texas Tech 84, No. 3 Illinois 78, final score from Nov. 10, 2026, in Lubbock.
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No. 16 Texas Tech never trailed Tuesday night at United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders built a 20-point halftime lead in front of 15,098 fans, then hung on as No. 3 Illinois mounted a late rally, winning 84-78 — the highest-ranked nonconference home victory in program history, Texas Tech Athletics said. We had tickets, parking and bag rules in our gameday guide before the 7 p.m. tip.

A 20-point lead at the break

Tech scored on its first possession and led 7-2 early after a Cruz Davis 3-pointer, according to the official Texas Tech recap. Illinois tied it at 17, but the Red Raiders answered with a 9-0 run and later a 6-0 burst capped by a Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn layup that made it 43-26. His 3-pointer in the final minute of the half made it a 20-point game for the first time, and Tech went to the locker room up 49-29.

Davis and Gibbs-Lawhorn had 13 points apiece by halftime. Jamichael Stillwell, in his first game of the season, already had seven points and seven rebounds in 10 minutes. Tech held a 23-15 rebounding edge in the first half and outscored Illinois 15-2 off turnovers. Illinois never led and trailed by as many as 22 points, the Illini's recap said, after Tech went up 49-27 with 1:04 left in the first half.

Illinois comes back. Tech closes it out.

The Illini outscored Tech 49-35 after halftime and shot 58.1 percent in the second half. Freshman Quentin Coleman scored 14 of his 19 points after the break, and Andrej Stojakovic added 14 of his 18. Coleman's 3-pointers cut the deficit to 61-51 with 11:44 left and 61-54 with 10:52 left. Tomislav Ivisic's 3-point play made it 61-57 with 9:13 to play. Stojakovic's layup at the 5:37 mark pulled Illinois within 65-64 — the closest the Illini got all night, Illinois Athletics said.

Damarion Dennis answered with a 3-pointer on Tech's next trip, the official recap said. Donovan Atwell then hit a 3 that made it 71-66. KCBD reported that shot came with 4:01 left and swung the momentum back to the Red Raiders. Davis later hit a jumper that pushed the lead to eight with two minutes remaining. With Tech ahead 80-73 in the final minute, Coleman hit another 3 with 34 seconds left to make it 80-76, but the Red Raiders finished it at the line. Atwell and Darrion Williams each made two free throws in the final 30 seconds, Texas Tech Athletics said. Tech went 23-of-26 at the line (88.5 percent). Illinois was 8-of-19 (42.1 percent), according to the official box score.

Who stood out

Davis led all scorers with 20 points and five assists. Gibbs-Lawhorn finished with 15 points. The Associated Press, in a recap carried by ESPN, reported that he was helped off the court with an apparent lower-body injury in the second half. Texas Tech has not posted a public update on his status that we could find.

Atwell scored 13 points, all three of his field goals from beyond the arc, and added a career-high five steals. Stillwell, a UCF transfer making his Tech debut after being cleared to play late last week, KCBD reported, had 11 points and 13 rebounds and went 7-of-8 at the line. Texas Tech Athletics said it was his 26th career double-double and the first by a Red Raider this season. Dennis added 10 points off the bench, giving Tech five players in double figures.

Coleman led Illinois with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Stojakovic had 18, and Ivisic had 14 points and six rebounds.

Tech won the boards 43-32, forced 16 turnovers that became 19 points, and finished with 13 steals. Illinois shot better, 50 percent to Tech's 40 percent, and outscored Tech 36-30 in the paint, but the early hole was too much to overcome. Texas Tech Athletics said the Illini finished 38 points below their season scoring average.

"This place will not let us lose," Tech coach Grant McCasland said, according to Texas Tech Athletics. "What a great team win in an amazing environment."

The Daily Toreador reported that after the win, Red Raider fans came onto the court to sing the Matador Song with the coaches and players.

Why it matters — and what's next

The win is the highest-ranked nonconference home victory in program history, surpassing a win over No. 4 SMU in 1957, Texas Tech Athletics said. It also extends a 49-game nonconference home winning streak. The Associated Press noted that the Red Raiders are now 103-1 in nonconference home games since December 2013 — the only loss was 76-74 in overtime to No. 15 Kentucky on Jan. 25, 2020 — and 26-0 in those games under fourth-year coach McCasland.

The game evened the all-time series at 1-1 after Illinois won 81-77 last season in Champaign. Tech improved to 3-0. Illinois fell to 2-1.

Tech is back at United Supermarkets Arena at noon Saturday, Nov. 14, against Stonehill College, then hosts New Orleans next week before heading to Las Vegas to open the Players Era against No. 10 Louisville. Upcoming nonconference games also include No. 2 Duke and No. 21 USC, Texas Tech Athletics said.

"I told our guys, we didn't come for this, we came for more than this," McCasland said. "This is a great step for us."

Sources

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