Texas Tech closed out its season-opening four-game home stand with another win, jumping on Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 98-64, Monday evening at the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock.

Here are our takeaways from the action…

When playing at a severe talent disadvantage, pulling out all the stops is borderline necessary to remain competitive.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff had a game plan in place to try and stifle the Red Raiders, which consisted of a tough 2-3 zone that kept Tech out of the paint. It forced the Red Raiders to play hot potato on the perimeter.

Coupled with a less-than-ideal start from beyond the three-point line, Tech struggled to establish a rhythm offensively in the early goings of the game.

As the contest rolled along, the Golden Lions found their zone to be less reliable, with the Red Raiders making adjustments in the open floor, speeding up the tempo to get offense rolling before the zone had a chance to set up.

Behind 14 points from star forward Darrion Williams in the first half, Tech settled into the game and pounced on chances.

After a pair of layups from APBU’s Dante Sawyer and Christian Moore cut the lead back within double digits, 34-26, the Red Raiders found headway and closed out the first half on a 13-2 run to push the lead back to nearly 20, 48-27, at the break.

This run was fueled by a salty finish at the basket by Minnesota transfer guard Elijah Hawkins, who made his first start in a Tech uniform Monday.

Hawkins’ left-handed scoop had the added benefit of a foul call, which Hawkins converted the and-1 free throw thereafter.

Chance McMillian and Kevin Overton added a pair of triples, along with two baskets from Dallas native Jadyn Toppin to break the game open in the closing minutes of the first 20.

Another 11-2 burst in the second half propelled the Red Raiders’ lead into the 30s behind a trifecta of layups from Devan Cambridge and Kevin Overton, as well as a trey from the Drake transfer guard.

Double-doubles have become a common occurrence around these parts, first established by Darrion Williams’ insane run in the 2023-24 season. Seeing two players reach that feat in the same game, however, is much more of a rarity.

Coming off his first double-double performance in a Tech uniform in the Nov. 13 win over Wyoming, JT Toppin followed up that script with another showing of the same variety, posting 14 points and snagging 11 boards in Monday’s victory.

In that same light, Elijah Hawkins proved to be masterful after struggling early, operating with immense quickness and willingness to facilitate in the open floor.

The guard was rewarded with his own double-double, finishing with 10 points and 11 assists.

Hawkins also had the added bonus of five steals, showing his tenacious defensive attitude that the Red Raiders have been yearning to make more of a consistency across the team.

It may not have been the prettiest at times throughout the four games that the Red Raiders hosted in their own confines to open the season, but the optimism around this team is sky high heading into the next phase of the season.

Next on the schedule for Tech is a trip to Brooklyn to take part in the Legend’s Classic, a four-team event that features the likes of St. Joe’s, Syracuse and recently-departed rival Texas.

Should the Red Raiders and Longhorns achieve the same result Thursday against their respective competition, both win or both lose, a date Friday night at the Barclays Center could be on the docket.

While it will be easy to look towards this prospective matchup, the eyes of the Tech staff will certainly remain fixed on the matchup against St. Joe’s, which is set to tip off at 8:00 p.m., Thursday.