Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Ready For Wyoming
December 12, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 12, 2002
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Today's Game
No. 10/10 Texas Tech (3-1) squares off against Wyoming (4-1) in Casper, Wyo., at 6:30 p.m. CST at the Casper Events Center. The game is a double-header with the men's team. The game will be televised in Lubbock on UPN with Vinnie Vinzetta and Crystal Boles calling the game. The game can also be heard on the radio as Ryan Hyatt will be calling the game on the All Sports Radio Network.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 3-1 on the year after beating Creighton, 98-70, on Dec. 4. On the year, junior Jia Perkins leads the team in scoring with a 22.3 average followed by senior Plenette Pierson at 19.3. Pierson is the top rebounder, grabbing 7.3 boards per outing. Freshman Erin Grant is shooting 56.3 per-cent from the field and sophomore Cisti Greenwalt is shooting 53.8 percent. Junior Natalie Ritchie is shooting 50 percent from three-point range. Grant has a team high of 40 assists, while Perkins leads the team in steals with 13. Greenwalt is the top shot blocker with 12 blocks. The Lady Raiders are shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 44.8 percent from three-point range and 71.4 percent from the free throw line.
Scouting the Opponent
Wyoming enters the game with a 4-1 record after suffering its first loss of the season to Colorado, 73-62, Dec. 4. In that game, senior Ann McColl scored a team-high 15 points followed by senior Carrie Bacon and sopho-more Ashley Elliott with 13 points apiece. McColl and senior Darci Arsene both had four rebounds, while senior Chassie Wiersma dished out three assists. Junior Brenda Pickup tallied three steals. On the year, the Cowgirls are led in scoring by Elliott with a 15.4 aver-age followed by Bacon at 13.8 and Pickup at 10.8. Bacon is the top rebounder, grabbing 7.0 boards per contest. Pickup has team highs of 25 assists and 19 steals. Sophomore Kristen Lenhardt is the top shot blocker with three blocks. Wyoming is shooting 45.3 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from the three-point line and 75 percent from the charity stripe. Cindy Fisher is in her fifth year at the helm of the Cowgirls establishing a career record of 45-70.
Series Record
Texas Tech leads the series with Wyoming 1-0. Tech won the only meet-ing, 69-46, on Dec. 8, 1978 in Lubbock.
Last Time Out
(AP) - One career-high scoring performance wasn't enough for No. 10 Texas Tech, so they had two in Wednesday night's win over Creighton. Jia Perkins scored 41 points and Plenette Pierson added 31 as Tech beat Creighton 98-70.
Perkins became the first Tech player since Alicia Thompson in 1997 to score more than 40 points in a game. She had 12 rebounds. Pierson grabbed eight rebounds and had a pair of blocked shots as the Lady Raiders took command midway through the second half, extending a 67-55 lead to 85-61 with five minutes remaining. Creighton got 24 points from Christy Neneman. The Lady Raiders ran off to a 27-9 lead with 13:05 remaining in the first half.
Pierson and Perkins, who each reached double figures within the game's first eight minutes, combined to score 22 of those points. Tech led by 21 points twice, the last with 9:12 left in the first half when Jametra Clark's two free throws made it 36-15. Creighton pulled within 38-29 when Neneman converted a driving layup with 5:56 left, but Tech responded with seven straight points.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech returns home for a game with Oregon State on Dec. 17. The Lady Raiders head to Hawai'i for games on Dec. 20 against Chattanooga and on Dec. 21 against either Hawai'i or Loyola Marymount. Tech finishes the 2002 year with games at Southern Miss Dec. 28 and at Rice Dec. 30. The Lady Raiders will start 2003 with two home games against Rutgers Jan.2 and Pacific Jan. 5.
