Culver 21 points, Odiase 13 boards in Texas Tech's 59-40 win

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) Texas Tech responded well when moderately tested for the first time. The Red Raiders still haven't trailed this season.

Jarrett Culver scored 21 points, Norense Odiase grabbed a career-best 13 rebounds and the Red Raiders shrugged off Southeastern Louisiana for a 59-40 victory Tuesday night to improve to 3-0.

Moses Greenwood scored 13 points and freshman sharpshooter Parker Edwards added 11 points off the bench for Southeastern (1-3), which had a miserable shooting night. The Lions shot 26 percent (12 of 46) overall and 17 percent (5 of 29) from 3-point territory.

Those shooting woes kept Southeastern from ever throwing too much of a scare into Tech, which finished with a 38-25 rebounding advantage.

''It's nice to see our defense carrying us on a night when we really needed it,'' Red Raiders coach Chris Beard said. ''You've got to give our guys credit. On a night when the shots weren't going down, we found a way to beat a good team.''

Tech (3-0) bolted to an 18-3 lead in the first 9 1/2 minutes. Junior college transfer Deshawn Corprew provided six points in a row, including a 3-pointer in transition.

Edwards buried a 3-pointer and swished three free throws when he was fouled on another deep jumper to bookend a 9-1 burst late in the first half that pulled the Lions within 26-17.

But Southeastern turned the ball over on its three final possessions of the half, and Culver scored six points in the final 1:58 before halftime to give the Red Raiders a 32-19 lead.

Culver, a major contributor on Tech's first Elite Eight team last year, had 14 of his points in the first half.

''Outstanding player, big-time player,'' Lions coach Jay Ladner said. ''Really his position, we knew that was a bad, bad matchup for us. His play at the end of the first half obviously broke the game open.''

Greenwood hit a 3 in the opening minute of the second half to get the Lions within 32-22, but they never got closer.

BIG PICTURE

Southeastern Louisiana: The Lions showed a much more competitive verve against a major conference opponent after losses by 31 points at LSU and 52 at Nebraska. As was the case in the first three games, shooting from outside was a major issue and something Southeastern will have to remedy - although the Lions aren't likely to face the same level of defense in the Southland Conference they have so far. They missed 11 of their first 12 shots.

Texas Tech: In its toughest test in the first three games, the Red Raiders showed the kind of grit that typified their 2017-18 season. The victory wasn't a thing of beauty by any means, but Culver showed a knack for taking a game over when needed and that will be important down the road.

STAT OF THE NIGHT: Both teams were a bit shaky with the ball. The Lions committed 15 turnovers and Tech had 12. But the Red Raiders were much more opportunistic with an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

TIP-INS: Culver (8 for 12), Odiase (3 for 3) and Coprew (2 for 2) combined to hit 13 of 17 field goals. The rest of Tech's roster was 9 of 29. . Neither team finished with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. The Lions had 15 turnovers and seven assists, while the Raiders had 12 of each.

UP NEXT

Southeastern Louisiana: The Lions head back home after a grinding four games, three on the road, over an eight-day stretch. They host Stetson on Saturday.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders head to Kansas City, Mo., and will play Southern California on Monday in the Hall of Fame Classic.

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