Texas Tech gets ahead early, suffocates Michigan wire-to-wire

Devan Cambridge and Joe Toussaint scored 17 points each as Texas Tech hustled to a 73-57 victory over Michigan in the Battle 4 Atlantis fifth-place game Friday night in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Darrion Williams and Pop Isaacs contributed 13 points each as Texas Tech (5-1) never trailed on its way to rebounding from an opening-game loss in the tournament to eventual champion Villanova.

The Red Raiders had the lead early and then went on a nine-point run to take a commanding lead that the Wolverines never seriously challenged.

Texas Tech milked a 41-30 edge on the boards, led by Williams (10), Cambridge (seven) and Warren Washington (nine), who finished with eight points.

Olivier Nkumhoua had 16 points and five rebounds to pace Michigan (4-3), which has lost three of its last four games. Dug McDaniel added 12 points, and Terrance Williams II contributed 10 points and five rebounds.

Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard, who has played a secondary role on the bench this season to interim head coach Phil Martelli as he is recovering from a heart procedure, drew two technical fouls at the end of the first half, earning an ejection. Howard argued a call that was reversed in the Wolverines' favor.

As a result, Isaacs hit 3 of 4 free technical throws to start the second half. When Cambridge scored on a driving layup, Texas Tech increased a 14-point lead at the break to 40-21, just 20 seconds into the second half.

Midway through the second half, Texas Tech scored eight straight points to take its biggest lead, 63-40. The run was triggered by a 3-pointer by Darrion Williams and completed by five free throws from Toussaint.

In the first half, Texas Tech was up 15-9 when it went on its nine-point spree, highlighted by a three-point-play from Darrion Williams.

—Field Level Media