No. 25 Texas Tech basketball takes down No. 20 BYU in Big 12 Tournament opener: 3 takeaways

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A hot start on both ends of the floor propelled the 25th-ranked Texas Tech basketball team to a 81-67 win over 20th-ranked BYU in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament Thursday in the T-Mobile Center.

The Red Raiders (23-9) made their first three shots and jumped out to a 9-0 lead. That advantage ballooned to 23 in the first half as Tech's defense limited the high-school Cougar offense throughout the afternoon.

Playing without starting center Warren Washington for the fifth game in a row, the Red Raiders narrowly had another substantial injury to deal with, though everything turned out OK on that front.

Darrion Williams exits, returns

As the Red Raiders got off to a hot start against the Cougars, they were also dealt a scary situation when Darrion Williams went down holding his leg at the 16:12 mark.

Williams — who the ESPN broadcast said sustained a mild ankle sprain — slipped on the court during a loose ball play and had to be helped to the bench. He hobbled back to the locker room and later returned to the court, though Tech was cautious in when to use him.

Stellar all-around first half

Grant McCasland was able to use Williams sparingly because the rest of the Red Raiders brought their A game to Kansas City.

Aside from six-straight points from the Cougars late in the half, the Red Raiders asserted their will in the first 20 minutes. Leading by as many as 23 against a team that had scored 87 or more in three of its last four games, Tech's improved defense continued to shine.

Lamar Washington came off the bench and provided important minutes. The Red Raiders hit seven 3-pointers in the first half while BYU had just seven total makes.

More:Darrion Williams elevating his game at perfect time for Texas Tech basketball's postseason run

BYU makes a run before Red Raiders close the deal

The game was never really in question, though the Cougars made a strong push to make the Red Raider fans sweat it out a bit.

BYU went on a 15-0 run to make it 62-55 with 5:04 left. That's when Joe Toussaint hit a crucial 3 from the top of the key. After a defensive stop, Toussaint drew double coverage from the Cougar defense, so he flipped the ball over to Williams, who sank a 3 of his own to get the advantage back to 13 with 3:49 left.

What's next?

The Red Raiders will be back in the T-Mobile Center on Friday for a meeting with 1-seed Houston. That game will be at 6 p.m. and air on ESPN.