No. 16 Texas Tech Never Trails in 84-78 Win Over No. 3 Illinois

No. 16 Texas Tech beat No. 3 Illinois 84-78 on Tuesday night, November 10, 2026, at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. The Red Raiders led from start to finish and improved to 3-0. Illinois fell to 2-1 with its first loss of the season.

Cruz Davis led Texas Tech with 20 points, five assists and three rebounds. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 15 points, Donovan Atwell scored 13 points with five steals, and Damarion Dennis scored 10. Jamichael Stillwell came off the bench in his season debut and finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes. Stillwell was able to play after a Lubbock judge granted him a temporary restraining order that made him eligible.

Quentin Coleman led Illinois with 19 points. Andrej Stojakovic added 18 points for the Fighting Illini.

A first half that decided the shape of the game

Texas Tech took control early and never gave the lead back. The Red Raiders forced 11 Illinois turnovers in the first half and turned them into 15 points. Davis and Gibbs-Lawhorn each scored 13 points before the break.

A 21-3 run late in the half pushed the lead to 22 points with 64 seconds left before halftime, capped by a 3-pointer from Gibbs-Lawhorn. Texas Tech went into the locker room ahead 49-29.

Illinois was the highest-ranked opponent ever to play a nonconference game in Lubbock, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, and the win stands as the highest-ranked nonconference home win in Texas Tech program history.

Illinois rallies, Texas Tech answers

Illinois spent the second half cutting into the lead. A jumper by Zavier Zens made it 58-48 with 12:26 left. The Illini kept coming, and consecutive baskets by Stojakovic brought them within one point at 65-64 with 5:37 to play.

Texas Tech answered at the line and in the half court. Atwell made two free throws and Davis hit a jumper, and the Red Raiders led 75-67 with 2:17 left. Coleman hit a 3-pointer to make it 80-76 with 33.5 seconds remaining, but Illinois got no closer.

Gibbs-Lawhorn was limited in the second half by injury, which made the closing minutes harder for the home team. Texas Tech still finished the job on the glass and at the free throw line.

The numbers behind the result

Texas Tech shot 26 of 65 from the field, 40.0 percent, and 9 of 27 from 3-point range. The Red Raiders won the rebounding battle 43-32, a margin that mattered late as Illinois pressed to get back into the game.

Illinois hurt itself at the free throw line, making 8 of 19 attempts. The Illini shot 10 of 34 from 3-point range.

The result gives Texas Tech an early-season win over a top-three team at home, the kind of result that carries weight in March when the NCAA Tournament field is set. Illinois leaves Lubbock with a loss but also with a second-half rally that cut a 22-point deficit to one point before the rally ran out of time.