No. 3 Texas Tech takes NCAA Tournament-record 46 3-pointers and beats No. 14 UNC Wilmington 82-72

By CODY FRIESEN The Associated Press
Updated: March 21, 2025 - 5:38 AM
Published: March 21, 2025 - 5:16 AM
UNC Wilmington guard Greedy Williams, left, and Texas Tech forward JT Toppin (15) compete for a rebound during the first half of the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Wichita, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Charlie Riedel]

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kerwin Walton scored a career-high 27 points and No. 3 seed Texas Tech attempted an NCAA Tournament-record 46 3-pointers in an 82-72 victory over No. 14 seed UNC Wilmington on Thursday night.

The Red Raiders raced to a 16-point lead, lost most of it by going cold in the final 6 1/2 minutes of the first half and then made enough plays down the stretch to recover after the Seahawks went ahead with about 14 minutes remaining.

Texas Tech (26-8) finished 13 for 46 behind the arc, breaking the tournament record of 43 attempts by Saint Joseph’s in a 1997 second-round game against Boston College. The 46 3s also set a school record.

Elijah Hawkins contributed 14 points for the Red Raiders and Darrion Williams had 13 to set up a second-round matchup with No. 11 seed Drake on Saturday. Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season.

Nolan Hodge scored 18 points for UNC Wilmington (27-8), the Coastal Athletic Association Champion. The Seahawks shot 41% from the floor.

Trailing 35-19, the Seahawks went on a 15-3 run in the final 6:11 of the first half to cut the Red Raiders’ lead to 38-34 at halftime. UNCW kept pace with Texas Tech in the second half, even taking the lead with 13:58 left to play. The Red Raiders found success under the basket in the second half which extended the lead.

Takeaways

UNC Wilmington: The Seahawks fought well to recover and take the lead, but could never get it larger than one point.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders shot just 27 for 69 (39%) from the floor and got a spark from Walton, who made eight 3-pointers.

Up next

Texas Tech will play Saturday, looking to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the last seven NCAA tournaments.

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