Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders are Top Team at Big 12
June 21, 1999 | Women's Basketball
Mar. 3, 1998
#6 Texas Tech (22-4, 15-1)
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 1998
Tipoff: Noon (CST)
Site: Municipal Auditorium
City: Kansas City, Mo.
Tech heads to Big 12 Tournament with top seed The Lady Raiders enter the 1998 Big 12 Tournament as the league's top team with a mark of 15-1 and 21-4 overall. Tech's only loss in Big 12 action was a 73-82 setback to Iowa State in Ames, Iowa on Jan. 20. Tech will face the winner of the tournament's opening game between eighth seed Colorado and ninth seed Oklahoma. The Lady Raiders' game is scheduled for noon on Wednesday, March 4.
Earlier this season, Tech defeated Colorado 80-40 in Lubbock. Alicia Thompson had a game high 28 points and 11 rebounds. The Buffaloes are led by LaShena Graham, who is averaging 11.0 points per game and a has a team high 128 assists on the season. Shelly Garcia is the team's top rebounder, grabbing 4.7 per outing.
The Lady Raiders defeated Oklahoma twice this season. At home, Tech claimed a 79-63 victory behind 34 points and eight rebounds from Thompson. The Lady Raiders brought home a 94-59 win from Norman. Thompson had 23 points, while Oklahoma native Keitha Dickerson had a team high six rebounds. The sooners are led by Phylesha Whaley who is putting in 20.4 points and grabbing 8.1 rebounds per game. Shonika Breeldove leads in assists with 107.
Probable Starting Lineups Texas Tech Lady Raiders No. Name Yr. Pos. Ht. G/GS PPG RPG APG 3 Melinda Schmucker So-1L G 5-9 26/26 3.5 2.7 4.2 23 Julie Lake Jr-2L G 5-9 26/26 10.7 3.4 4.1 33 Rene Hanebutt Jr-2L G 5-8 26/26 10.0 5.5 3.3 43 Alicia Thompson Sr-3L P 6-1 26/26 23.3 9.2 2.2 45 Angie Braziel Jr-Tr P 6-3 26/26 14.2 6.1 1.7(BPG) Texas Tech Reserves No. Name Yr. Pos. Ht. G/GS PPG RPG APG 10 Kristi Washington Fr-RS G 5-10 12/0 3.8 1.5 0.3 11 Katrisa O'Neal Fr-HS G 5-6 26/0 4.3 2.2 2.3(SPG) 12 Cara Gibbs Jr-2L P 6-2 25/0 3.8 2.2 0.9 13 Jennifer Cockerell Sr-3L P 6-3 8/0 0.3 0.4 0.1 20 Elesha Walker Sr-3L G 5-6 11/0 0.5 0.3 0.3 24 Crystal Boles Sr-3L P 6-2 17/0 1.7 1.9 1.1(BPG) 25 Keitha Dickerson So-1L F 6-0 24/0 4.5 3.3 0.8 31 Kim Martinez Jr-Tr F 5-9 5/0 0.0 0.2 0.0 41 Detra Johnson So-1L F 6-1 8/0 2.5 1.4 0.3(BPG) 1997-98 Big 12 Standings Overall Big 12 Team W-L Perc. W-L Perc. Texas Tech 22-4 .846 15-1 .937 Iowa State 23-6 .793 12-4 .750 Nebraska 22-8 .733 11-5 .687 Kansas 19-7 .731 11-5 .687 Oklahoma State 17-9 .653 10-6 .625 Baylor 17-9 .653 10-6 .625 Texas 12-14 .461 7-9 .437 Colorado 11-15 .423 5-11 .312 Kansas State 10-16 .385 4-12 .250 Texas A&M 8-18 .308 4-12 .250 Oklahoma 8-18 .308 4-12 .250 Missouri 11-15 .423 3-13 .188
Tech edges Kansas State
Texas Tech ended regular season play with a 67-62 victory over Kansas State in Manhattan. The Wildcats pounced on the Lady Raiders early, scoring 11 points before Tech bucketed a shot. Kansas State lead the entire first half and took a 39-35 lead into intermission. In second half action, Tech guard Julie Lake hit a two pointer at the 7:54 mark to give the Lady Raiders a 57-55 lead. They never trailed again. Alicia Thompson put in 27 points, while Angie Braziel added 22. Thompson led the team in rebounds with nine, while Rene Hanebutt had a team high seven assists.
For assistance dial 3
Since becoming the court general of the Lady Raider offense, sophomore Melinda Schmucker has dished out some impressive numbers. The Nazareth product leads the team in assists with 111 overall and 81 in Big 12 play. "Schmick" is now second for most assists by a sophomore. She passed Camille Franklin who had 92 during the 1984-85 season and Tammy Walker who handed out 103. Schmick will now chase Krista Kirkland, the top sophomore disher with 134.
For further assistance dial 23
Not to be out done, the Lady Raider who holds the freshman record for most assists in a season (134), junior Julie Lake is now fifth on Tech's All-Time assist list. Her 341 career dishes bypassed Sharon Cain who had 311 and Stephanie Scott who racked up 310. Tabitha Truesdale is fourth with 365.
Thompson for 2,000
On Feb. 25, 1998 in front of 8,174 Lady Raider fans, Senior All-America candidate Alicia Thompson did something that only two other Lady Raiders have done before her. On the second of a two shot free throw at the 5:20 mark in the first half, Thompson recorded her 2,000th career point. Thompson joined Michi Atkins (2,134) and Carolyn Thompson (2,655) in the elite scoring group.
Turnover time
One of the keys to Tech's success this season has been forced turnovers. The Lady Raiders are forcing their opponents to turnover the ball 19.3 times per game. Their highest forced turnover number of the season came against Colorado on Jan. 17. Tech caused the Buffaloes to cough up the rock 29 times. In Big 12 play, Texas Tech opponents are averaging 19.8 miscues a game.
Thompson becomes top conference scorer
Against Oklahoma on Feb. 19, Alicia Thompson scored her 1,000th career point in conference play. She ends her Lady Raider career with 1,107 total points in Southwest Conference and Big 12 Conference action. Thompson is the top conference scorer in Texas Tech women's basketball history. She passed former Lady Raider great Carolyn Thompson, who put in 1,070 points during her four year career.
Playing time
Juniors Julie Lake and Rene Hanebutt have seen more court time this season than any other Lady Raiders. Lake is averaging 33.2 minutes per game, while Hanebutt is putting in 32.2 minutes of work. In her three seasons at Tech, Lake has put in 33.6 minutes of action.
O'Neal steal at it
Freshman Katrisa O'Neal, or "Kat" as her teammates call her, has made quite a defensive impact for the Lady Raiders. O'Neal currently leads the team in steals ("Kat nips" as they are now being called) with 60. Her season high came against Colorado where she accumulated seven nips.
All-Big 12 Team
Not long after the Lady Raiders finish their 1998 regular season did the Big 12 honors start rolling in. Senior All-America candidate Alicia Thompson was honored for the second consecutive year with a spot on the All-Big 12 first team. Junior transfer Angie Braziel was chosen to the second team, while junior Rene Hanebutt was again chosen to the third team. Junior guard Julie Lake was an Honorable Mention selection. Texas Tech head coach Marsha Sharp was chosen as the Big 12 Coach of the Year by her peers.
Leading the way
Senior All-America candidate Alicia Thompson has been Tech's leading scorer in 19 games this season. Angie Braziel has lead the way in five, while Julie Lake has been the top scorer in two. During her career, Thompson has been Tech's leading scorer in 55 of the 124 games the Lady Raiders have played since the 1994-95 season. Prior to Angie Braziel's 20 point effort against the University of Texas-El Paso, Thompson had been the team's leading point-getter in 15 consecutive games. She was the leading scorer in the last 10 games of her junior season and the first five as a senior.
Clutch time free throws
In the last three minutes of a game, the Lady Raiders are shooting .685 from the free throw line. Tech has hit 76 of 111 bonus buckets in the waning minutes of regulation.
Winning at home in conference play
The Lady Raiders have won 15 straight conference games in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. The last loss Tech suffered at home was to Oklahoma State on Jan. 8, 1997. Prior to that loss, Tech had won 26 straight conference match-ups in the Bubble.
All-time Big 12 marks
Texas Tech now boasts the best all-time Big 12 Conference record with a 26-6 mark. Last season, the Lady Raiders finished league play with an 11-5 standing. That, added to Tech's current record of 15-1 gives the Lady Raiders a two-year winning percentage of .813. Tech is trailed by the 1997 Big 12 Champion Kansas Jayhawks, who have a 25-7 mark. The Jayhawks went 14-2 last season and are currently 11-5. Their winning percentage is .781 over two seasons.
Keeping the losses low
Texas Tech finished their 1997-98 regular season with an overall record of 22-4. During the last seven seasons, Tech has finished regular season play with seven or less losses. In conference action, the Lady Raiders produced a 15-1 record this season. For the past nine consecutive seasons, the Lady Raiders have suffered five or fewer losses in conference action, dating back to the 1989-90 season when they went 11-5 in Southwest Conference action.
For the Senior record
The 1998 Lady Raider senior class is unique in that each senior has been with the program for four years. Crystal Boles, Jennifer Cockerell, Alicia Thompson and Elesha Walker have been at Tech for each one of the 102 victories and 22 losses. They have shared in three conference championships, one Conference Tournament title, and three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA Midwest Regional tickets on sale
The Texas Tech Athletic Ticket Office began taking ticket orders from the general public today for the 1998 NCAA Women's Basketball Midwest Regional, scheduled for Saturday and Monday, March 21 and 23 at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. All tickets to the NCAA Midwest Regional are reserved and are available for $25, which includes all three games of the event. No single-game tickets are expected to be made available for the event. For more information call (806)742-4412 or toll free at 1-888-Go-Big 12. Additional information about the tournament is available on the official Texas Tech athletic website at www.texastech.com.
Post season tournament honors
In post-season conference tournaments, the Lady Raiders have not only won or shared six titles, they have also racked up some impressive individuals honors, as well. Five Lady Raiders, including current senior All-America candidate Alicia Thompson (as a sophomore) have been chosen as tournament MVPs. Eight Lady Raiders have received the honor of being named to the Dr Pepper/Southwest Conference Classic All-Tournament team.
Watching the Lady Raiders
For the fifth consecutive season, the Lady Raiders have drawn more than 7,000 fans to their home games. In their 12 home games this season, Tech recorded an average of 7,908 spectators. This mark is second only to the 7,936 the Lady Raiders drew in their 16 games during the 1995-96 season. Tech's largest home crowd of the seaosn occurred during the Big 12/PAC 10 Challenge, when 8,266 fans crowded the Coliseum to watch the action
There's no place like Kansas
After defeating Kansas State on Saturday, the Texas Tech Lady Raiders didn't come home to celebrate. The team opted to stay in Kansas instead of returning to Lubbock. After a season full of travel delays, Texas Tech decided to lessen their chances of travel problems and increase their study time before heading to the Big 12 Tournament. It was a good call. Those members of the staff that flew home following the KSU game experienced the all too familiar flight delay, cancellation and late arrival home.
Win streaking
Texas Tech finished Big 12 play on a 10 game conference win streak, The last time Tech lost to a Big 12 opponent was on Jan. 20, when Iowa State claimed a 73-82 victory. The Lady Raiders ended their regular season on an eight game win streak. Their last loss occurred on Jan. 31 in Lubbock, when Stanford handed tech a 71-80 setback in the Big 12 PAC 10 Challenge.
Second times a charm
Last season in the first Big 12 Tournament, the Lady Raiders made a quick exit, as they were upset by Kansas State 68-76 in first round action. Ironically, Texas Tech had a similar experience in the first-ever Southwest Conference Tournament. The Lady Raiders were defeated in their first game by Baylor, 56-62. As the Lady Raiders enter their second Big 12 tournament, a look back at the second Southwest Conference Tournament shows that Tech fared much better. They defeated Arkansas 56-43 in their first game before succumbing to Texas 73-83.
Braziel swat patrol
Junior post Angie Braziel has come to Tech and already left her mark. The South Plains College transfer has 43 blocks on the season. This mark puts her in 10th place on Tech's season list. She needs only two more to move ahead of Cynthia Clinger, who had 44 during the 1992-93 season.
Hanebutt for three
Junior Rene Hanebutt has 126 three-point field goal attempts on the season. That ranks her in sixth place on Tech's single season list. She passed Karen Farst who attempted 118 during the 1988-89 season. Krista Kirkland is fifth with 158.
