Robert Lewandowski scored 17 points to lead host Texas Tech to a 69-64 victory over visiting North Texas on Wednesday.

The Red Raiders nearly squandered a 13-point second-half lead but ended up making enough free throws down the stretch as coach Billy Gillispie improved to 2-0 in his first season at Texas Tech.

Ty Nurse added 15 points, and Toddrick Gotcher had 12 points and eight rebounds for Texas Tech, which avenged its overtime loss at North Texas last season.

The Mean Green got 31 points from freshman point guard Chris Jones, who single-handedly led his team’s second-half charge. No other player had more than six points for North Texas (1-1).

Texas Tech led 37-34 at halftime and stretched its lead to 13 on Jordan Tolbert’s tip-in and free throw that made it 53-40 midway through the second half, but North Texas didn’t go away quietly.

The Mean Green clawed its way back into the game largely because of Jones, who scored eight consecutive points during a 16-5 run that trimmed it to 61-60 with 1:58 to go.

But the Red Raiders were nearly perfect from the free throw line (23-of-25), and North Texas could never hit a 3-pointer to tie the game.

The Mean Green finished 1-for-16 from long range and the two teams combined to go 0-of-15 on 3-pointers in the second half.