Ty Nurse scored 17 of his game-high 29 points in the first half and Texas Tech survived a second-half scare from visiting Troy in a 90-85 victory on Friday.

The Red Raiders, playing in their first game under new coach Billy Gillispie, led 45-40 at halftime and never trailed after the break. But on numerous occasions when it looked like they were starting to pull away, the Trojans came roaring back.

Troy tied the game at 56 seven minutes into the second half on back-to-back buckets by Alan Jones and Nic Combs, but Texas Tech responded with a 19-11 spurt over the next few minutes and took a 75-67 lead on Javarez Willis’ three-pointer with 7:23 remaining.

The Trojans again cut the lead to three when Jones hit a bucket to make it 80-77 with 3:43 left, but Nurse scored made a three-point play to help seal the victory.

Nurse, a junior college transfer, didn’t have a field goal in Texas Tech’s two exhibition games, but scored 15 points in the first 14 minutes to help the Red Raiders build an early 39-30 lead.

Willis chipped in with 15 points for Texas Tech, while Will Weathers led the Trojans with 24 points.

Robert Lewandowski, a 6-foot-10 center who figures to be Texas Tech’s workhorse this season, was in foul trouble for much of the game and finished with only eight points.

Gillispie, who took a two-year break from basketball after a brief two-year stint at Kentucky, is back coaching in his home state for the third time. He started his career with two seasons at Texas-El Paso and coached at Texas A&M from 2004-2007.