Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Ready To Play Iowa State In Ames
January 17, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2002
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Saturday's Game
No. 15/16 Texas Tech will take No. 14/9 Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. It is the eighth meeting between the two schools.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 10-5 on the year and 2-3 in the Big 12 after beating No. 11/13 Baylor, 83-63, last Wednesday. The Lady Raiders are led in scoring by sophomore Jia Perkins at 16.4 points a game and sophomore Natalie Ritchie at 11.8. Senior Amber Tarr is averaging 11.3 points. Freshman Cisti Greenwalt is averaging 7.9 rebounds per outing, while Perkins is averaging 5.6. Perkins has team highs of 70 assists and 39 steals. Greenwalt is the top shot blocker with 37 blocks followed by senior Tanisha Ellison with 13. Ellison is shooting 57.4 percent from the field and sophomore Jolee Ayers is shooting 46.4 percent, while Ritchie is shooting 39.8 percent from three-point range. On the year, the Lady Raiders are shooting 42.6 percent from the field, 36 percent from the three-point arc and 61.8 percent from the free throw line. Scouting the Opponent
No. 14/9 Iowa State enters the game with a 14-3 overall record and 2-3 in the Big 12 after beating No. 3/2 Oklahoma, 82-66, last Tuesday night. In that game, senior Angie Welle had a game-high 28 points, while senior Tracy Gahan added 25 and junior Lindsey Wilson chipped in 16. Welle, Gahan and junior Melanie Bremer each had nine rebounds. Wilson finished with seven assists and three steals.
On the year, Welle and Wilson pace the Cyclones in scoring each with a 19.9 average followed by Gahan at 14.2. Welle is averaging a double-double with a 10.6 rebound average. Wilson has a team-high 105 assists, while Gahan leads the team in steals with 38. Welle is the top shot blocker with 27 blocks. ISU is shooting 48.7 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three-point range and 70.8 percent from the free throw line.
Bill Fennelly is in his seventh year at the helm of the Cyclones, establishing a record of 152-53. He also in his 14th year as a head coach with an overall record of 318-106.
Series Record
It is eighth meeting between Texas Tech and Iowa State with the Lady Raiders holding a 4-3 advantage. Last year, Tech won the regular-season game, 68-60, Feb. 28 in Lubbock. The Cyclones were then victorious, 73-62, last year in the semifinals of the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. ISU won the last time in Ames, 62-37, Jan. 2, 2000. Tech 0-2 against Iowa State in Ames.
Last Time vs. Iowa State
March 8, 2001 - Angie Welle had 25 points and 11 rebounds on March 8 as No. 13 Iowa State beat No. 11 Texas Tech 73-62 to advance to the finals of the Big 12 Conference tournament.
Second-seeded Texas Tech led most of the first half, but Erica Haugen hit a 3-pointer to give the third-seeded Cyclones a 55-53 lead with 7:47 left. Iowa State then scored seven straight points to put the game out of reach.
Lindsey Wilson added 15 points, and Megan Taylor had 10 for the Cyclones. Plenette Pierson scored 13, Jia Perkins 12 and Katrisa O'Neal 10 for Texas Tech.
The Lady Raiders led 33-29 at halftime.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech will host Oklahoma State on Jan. 23 and travel to Kansas State on Jan. 27 for a game on Fox Sports Net at 2 p.m. Tech will play at Texas A&M Jan. 30 before returning home to face Colorado Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. on Fox Sports Net.
Lady Raider Head Coach Marsha Sharp
One of the most respected and well-known coaches in Texas Tech history, head coach Marsha Sharp is 469-146 in her 20th year at the helm of the Lady Raiders. Entering the 2001-02 season, Sharp was the seventh active winningest coach among Division I coaches. She has led the Lady Raiders to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 12 consecutive, and eight NCAA Sweet 16 and three Elite Eight appearances and the NCAA National Championship in 1993. Sharp led the Lady Raiders to three-straight Big 12 Conference regular-season titles (1998-2000) and two tournament crowns (1998, 1999). While in the SWC, coach Sharp and the Lady Raiders never finished below third, they won or shared the last five championships, and they captured three Post-Season Classic titles.
A 1974 graduate of Wayland Baptist University, Sharp was named the National Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1994. She also reaped SWC Coach of the Year honors seven times, five consecutively.
Last Time Out
(AP) - Texas Tech stopped a streak and averted an unwelcome record with a convincing 83-63 victory Wednesday night over Baylor.
Jia Perkins scored 20 points to lead No. 15 Tech. It's big halftime lead was enough to withstand a late surge by No. 13 Baylor.
The Lady Raiders ended a three-game losing streak and kept Tech's record books safe from an unprecedented four-game league losing streak. Going into Wednesday night's game, Tech (10-5, 2-3 Big 12) had dropped the past three games to Big 12 teams Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The last time Tech dropped three league games in a row was in 1986-1987 when the Southwest Conference was still around.
Tech led 48-26 at the break, and extended its advantage to 30 points. But Baylor (13-3, 1-3) got within 15 in the final seven minutes.
Baylor played much of the game without coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson, issued back-to-back technicals and ejected.
With a little more than eight minutes left in the first half, Mulkey-Robertson argued with referee Jeff Caudle - while outside the coaches box - about what she believed was a foul that was not called. When she continued to argue and remain outside the box, Caudle gave her a second technical and Mulkey-Robertson was ejected.
Steffanie Blackmon and Danielle Crockrom added 13 points apiece for Baylor.
Perkins, who had a third straight game with 20 or more points, said the technicals gave the team a lift.
Amber Tarr added 15 points and Tanisha Ellison 12 for Texas Tech.
Losing Streak Snapped
Texas Tech snapped its three-game losing streak with the win over Baylor. It was the first three-game losing streak since the 1988-89 season.
Putting Up the Points
Sophomore Jia Perkins recorded her third-straight game of 20 or more points as she scored 20 points against Baylor. Perkins had 20 points at Missouri and 25 at Texas.
Season High Assists for White and Tarr
Senior Candi White dished out a season-high nine assists against Baylor, while senior Amber Tarr had a season-high five assists. White's career high is 10, which she had against New Mexico last year. Tarr's career high is seven, which came against Southwest Texas in November 1999.
T-Bird Scores Season High
Senior Tanisha Ellison scored a season-high 12 points against Baylor. Ellison also tallied a career-high three assists.
Lady Raiders Dish Out
Texas Tech dished out a season-high 24 assists against Baylor, including a season-high nine by senior Candi White.
Team High Percentages
Texas Tech finished the Baylor game with a team high of 50.7 percent from the field (34-of-67).
Perkins Gets Third Double-Double
Sophomore Jia Perkins recorded her third double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 assists at Texas.
Perkins Ties Career High Assists
Sophomore Jia Perkins tied her career-high 10 assists at Texas. Perkins has now dished out 10 assists three times in her career.
Stealing Candi
Senior Candi White tallied a career high of five steals in Tech's game at Texas. White's previous career high was four steals on three occasions.
Tech vs. Top 25
Texas Tech will play three-straight games against teams ranked in the top 25. Tech played at then No. 16/17 Texas Jan. 13 and hosted No. 11/13 Baylor Jan. 16 and will play at No. 14/9 Iowa State on Saturday. After Iowa State, Tech will have played five of its lasts seven games against top 25 teams (Dec. 29 vs. No. 3 Vanderbilt and Jan. 5 vs. No. 3 Oklahoma).
NCAA Stats
As of games through Jan. 14, freshman Cisti Greenwalt ranks 10th in the country in blocked shots per game with a 2.8 average, among all NCAA Division I players.
RPI
As of games through Jan. 16, Texas Tech is ranked 13th in the current WBCA/Summerville RPI (rate percentage index). Tech also ranks second in the country in strength of schedule.
Fifth Largest Attendance at USA
Texas Tech had its fifth largest crowd for a women's basketball game at the United Spirit Arena against Oklahoma with 14,437 spectators. Tech has sold out (15,050) the USA twice against LSU Nov. 20, 1999 and against Oklahoma Feb. 19, 2000.
Jackson Ties Career High Boards
Sophomore Casey Jackson tied her career high of nine rebounds against Oklahoma. Jackson also had nine boards earlier this season at Duke.
Tarr on the Boards
Senior Amber Tarr tied her season-high seven rebounds against Oklahoma. Tarr recorded seven rebounds against North Texas earlier this season. Her career high is eight, which she had her junior year at Rice.
Ayers Pours in Career High
Sophomore Jolee Ayers came off the bench against Kansas to record a career-high 22 points while adding 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Ayers' previous career high was 17, which she had against Texas A&M last year.
Big Night for Greenwalt
Freshman Cisti Greenwalt had her third double-double of the season as she tallied a career-high 18 points and added 15 rebounds. Greenwalt's previous career high in points was 14 at Saint Peter's. Her career high in rebounds is 18, which she recorded at Saint Peter's.
Perkins Named Big 12 Player of the Week
Sophomore Jia Perkins was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for her performances during the holiday break from Dec. 18-Jan. 1. That included Tech's games at Saint Peter's, at Rutgers and against Vanderbilt. At Saint Peter's, Perkins recorded a career-high 32 points, connecting on 10-of 22 shot attempts and 12-of-14 free throws. At Rutgers, Perkins scored 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds and hit all six free throw attempts, while matching her career high of six steals. Against No. 3 Vanderbilt, she had an all-around game with 17 points, a season-high nine assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block. For the three games, Perkins averaged 22.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists, while shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free throw line.
Season High for Tarr
Senior Amber Tarr poured in a season-high 23 points in Texas Tech's win over Vanderbilt. Her previous season high was 19 points at New Mexico. Tarr was just two points shy of tying her career high of 25 points, which she had last season against Southeastern Louisiana.
Ritchie Ties Career High
Sophomore Natalie Ritchie tied her career-high 21 points against Vanderbilt. Ritchie also matched her career high of five three-point baskets.
Season Low Turnovers
Texas Tech committed a season-low six turnovers in its victory over Vanderbilt. Tech's previous low was eight against Southern Miss.
More Threes
Texas Tech tied its season high of 10 three-point baskets. Tech also had 10 threes against Southern Miss. The school record for the most three-pointers by a team in a game is 11.
Perkins Paces Lady Raiders Again
Sophomore Jia Perkins led the Lady Raiders to victory again over Rutgers as she scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while adding four assists and tied her career-high six steals.
Ayers Assisting Teammates
Sophomore Jolee Ayers recorded a career high of five assists in Tech's win at Rutgers. Her previous career high was three assists, which she had done three times in her career.
Best Free Throw Outing
Texas Tech had its best outing at the free throw line at Rutgers. Tech shot 90 percent from the charity stripe, connecting on 9-of-10 attempts.
Top Five Teams
Texas Tech has faced three top five teams so far this season. The Lady Raiders beat then No. 3/3 Vanderbilt Dec. 29 and lost at then No. 4/5 Duke Nov. 11 and against then No.3/3 Oklahoma Jan. 5.
Perkins Pours in Points
Sophomore Jia Perkins poured in a career-high 32 points in Texas Tech's win at Saint Peter's. Perkins went 10-for-22 from the field and 12-for-14 from the free throw line. Her previous career high was 29 points against Purdue in the NCAA Sweet 16 last season.
Eight Lineups in 15 Games
Texas Tech has used eight different lineups in its 15 games this year. Senior Tanisha Ellison and sophomore Jia Perkins have started 14 games and senior Amber Tarr has started 11 and sophomore Casey Jackson eight. Sophomore Natalie Ritchie and freshman Cisti Greenwalt each have seven and senior Candi White has five. Tech has used the same lineup in the last three games (Ellison, Greenwalt, White, Perkins and Tarr).
Television Games
The Lady Raiders will appear on national and/or regional television eight times this season. Tech's first game was against Duke Nov. 11 on ESPN and will play Wisconsin on espn2 on Feb. 17. Tech played Vanderbilt on syndication television throughout the United States. The Lady Raiders will or have faced Big 12 foes Texas (home and away), at Kansas State, Colorado and at Oklahoma on Fox Sports Net. The rest of Tech's home games will be televised locally and throughout the state of Texas by the Texas Tech Television Network.
Lady Raiders in the Polls
Since January 20, 1992, the Lady Raiders have been ranked in the Top 25 in the Associated Press and/or the USA Today poll a total of 186 weeks. That includes this week's polls of 15th in the AP poll and 16th in the USA Today/ESPN poll.
