Bryson Williams and Davion Warren led the way for Texas Tech on Monday night as the Red Raiders defeated Prairie View A&M, 84-49. Williams scored 18 points, shooting 7 of 10 from the field with 7 rebounds, and Warren dropped 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting, and was 3 of 5 from three-point land. The Red Raiders starting five shot a combined 55 percent from the field. Coach Mark Adams was asked about his team’s performance tonight.

“It was a good overall game for us,” Adams said. “Everyone scored and got to play quality minutes. I thought overall we took a step forward this game, and I was pleased with the defense. Our rebounding was really good, we dominated at both ends of the floor on the boards.”

Kevin McCullar posted 12 points, grabbing 7 rebounds with 3 assists, and Adonis Arms put up 7 points, 5 boards and 5 dimes. Mylik Wilson added 7 points, to go along with 5 assists on the offensive end. Wilson has more assists than field goal attempts this season, and his 15-to-1 assist to turnover ratio leads the offense. Wilson was asked about his mindset on the offensive end.

“My mindset is to get everybody else involved before I get my shot up,” Wilson said. “I feel like I can get into the paint and try to do something, so I just want to get everybody else involved before I get involved. I feel like being a point guard my main job is to take care of the ball and try to get us good shots.”

It was a collective effort for Texas Tech on Monday and that was apparent on the defensive end of the court. The Panthers shot 38.3 percent from the floor and were 4-19 from behind the arc, turning the ball over 21 times. The Red Raiders also added 12 steals on the defensive end, with McCullar and Wilson both coming up with three steals a piece and Warren adding two.

“I thought for the most part we played consistent defense for most of the 40 minutes,” Adams noted. “I think the difference in this game than the other two games, we’ll have some peaks and valleys, but I thought we were steady. Overall, I thought we were pretty solid on the defensive end.”

Arms said after the game that the team is becoming more in tune with what Coach Adams wants them to do on the defensive end. Arms noted the hard work coming from the team in practice and how the team is buying into the defense.

“If you want to be a great team you can’t just focus on one thing,” Arms said. “Texas Tech is known for their defense, so that’s going to be a major thing that we’re going to work on constantly just to get better. Stop people from scoring on us, so we can score on them and win the game.”

Effort and intensity can be difficult to measure. In the sport of basketball however, they’re visible in multiple areas over the course of a game. One area where effort and intensity can really stand out is in the rebounding department. While three games might be a small sample size, it still gives you a glance into the makeup of a team, and this Red Raider squad has shown a knack for attacking the boards. Texas Tech has a plus-64 rebound advantage on the season and dominated the glass, 50-26, in Monday night’s victory.

Adams said that you are what you emphasize and added that about halfway through the summer, they really started to focus on becoming a good rebounding team. Adams noted the team spent a lot of time blocking out, holding the guys accountable, and gives out a rebounding award after every win. Adams said the guys know it’s important, and that he stresses it every day and so far, the players embrace it.

“When you can get those second chance points and get those extra possessions off an offensive rebound, then winning becomes so much easier, just like when you turn somebody over,” Adams said. “It’s a huge play and I’m hoping that we can continue to make that a part of our identity.”