Texas Tech University Athletics
Women's Hoops Hosts No. 17/15 Texas
February 05, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2002
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#15/17 Texas Tech Lady Raiders (13-7/5-5 Big 12)
vs. #17/15 Texas Longhorns (14-6/6-4 Big 12)
February 6, 2002 - Lubbock, Texas
7:30 p.m. - Television - Fox Sports Net
United Spirit Arena (15,050)
Wednesday's Game
No. 15/17 Texas Tech will host No. 17/15 Texas Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the United Spirit Arena. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net with Bill Land and Debbie Antonelli calling the game. It is the 65th meeting between the two schools.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 13-7 on the year and 5-5 in the Big 12 after losing to then No. 17/17 Colorado, 74-69, in overtime last Sunday. The Lady Raiders are led in scoring by sophomore Jia Perkins at 16.9 points a game and senior Amber Tarr at 11.5. Sophomore Natalie Ritchie is averaging 11.1 points. Freshman Cisti Greenwalt is averaging 6.9 rebounds per outing, while sophomore Casey Jackson is averaging 5.5. Perkins has team highs of 87 assists and 53 steals. Greenwalt is the top shot blocker with 42 blocks followed by senior Tanisha Ellison with 16. Ellison is shooting 55.4 percent from the field and Ayers is shooting 53.2 percent, while Ritchie is shooting 40.4 percent from three-point range. On the year, the Lady Raiders are shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from the three-point arc and 61.2 percent from the free throw line.
Scouting the Opponent
Texas enters the game with a 14-6 overall record and 6-4 in Big 12 play after losing at Texas A&M, 70-65, last Saturday. In that game, freshman Heather Schreiber scored a game-high 27 points followed by sophomore Stacy Stephens with 10. Stephens also had a game-high 15 rebounds. Senior Kenya Larkin tallied seven assists, while Stephens added two blocks.
On the year, Stephens paces the Longhorns in scoring with a 15.2 average followed by Schreiber at 14.2 and senior Tracy Cook at 11.2. Stephens is the top rebounder, grabbing 9.9 boards per outing. Larkin leads the team in assists with 111, while Schreiber has a team-high 30 steals. Texas is shooting 43.5 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point range and 70.9 percent from the free throw line.
Jody Conradt is in her 27th year at the helm of the Longhorns, establishing a record of 663-192. She is also in her 33rd year as a head coach with an overall record of 780-254.
Series Record
It is the 65th meeting between Texas Tech and Texas with Texas holding a 47-17 advantage. Texas won the first meeting this year, 87-83, in overtime in Austin Jan. 13. Last year, Tech defeat the Longhorns, 71-58, on March 7, 2001 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. The Lady Raiders also won, 76-60, Feb. 24 in Austin last season, while Texas won the first game last year, 63-57, in Lubbock Feb. 10.
Last Time vs. Texas
January 13, 2002 - Heather Schreiber scored 28 points and made a key steal and free throws in the final 30 seconds Sunday as No. 16 Texas rallied for an 87-83 overtime victory over No. 10 Texas Tech.
Stacy Stephens added 26 points for Texas, all but two in the second half, as the Longhorns (12-2, 4-0 Big 12) sent the Lady Raiders (9-5,1-3) to their first three-game losing streak since 1989.
The Lady Longhorns are 5-1 against ranked teams this season and are nudging their way toward the Top 10 for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
Texas trailed 53-40 early in the second half before clawing its way back into the game.
Tech had no answer in the second half for Texas' front-line duo as Stephens and Schreiber combined to score 16 of Texas' 18 points in overtime. Schreiber's three-point play put Texas up 72-69 on the first possession. Stephens then scored seven in a row.
After Schreiber's basket made it 83-80, Tech tried to set up a 3-pointer for Jia Perkins, who sent the game into overtime with a long shot in the final seconds.
Texas closed a double-team around Perkins, and she threw an errant pass that Schreiber picked off. Schreiber was fouled and made a pair of free throws to make it 85-80 with 17.2 seconds left.
Perkins led Texas Tech with 25 points.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech hits the road Feb. 9 for a game at Baylor and Feb. 14 at Oklahoma State. The Lady Raiders return home for three games - Feb. 17 against Wisconsin on espn2, Feb. 19 against Texas A&M and for their final home game against Nebraska Feb. 23.
Lady Raider Head Coach Marsha Sharp
One of the most respected and well-known coaches in Texas Tech history, head coach Marsha Sharp is 472-148 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) - Colorado opened overtime with consecutive 3-pointers - including a 35-footer by Mandy Nightingale - as the No. 17 Buffaloes beat 13th-ranked Texas Tech 74-69 Sunday for their seventh victory in a row.
After regulation ended 63-all, Jenny Roulier hit a 3-pointer to put Colorado ahead. Then Nightingale, standing between the top of the key and the midcourt circle with the shot clock winding down, made her only 3-pointer of the game to put Colorado up 69-65.
The Buffaloes made only one 3-pointer in regulation before hitting both of their attempts in overtime.
Texas Tech, trailing 72-69, had a chance to tie it with time running out, but Natalie Ritchie's 3-point attempt was blocked by Britt Hartshorn. Nightingale then sank two free throws with 10.4 seconds left to seal the victory.
Tera Bjorklund led the Buffaloes (17-6, 7-3 Big 12) with 18 points. Roulier added 16, and Nightingale 15.
Texas Tech (13-7, 5-5) got 22 points and 16 rebounds from Jolee Ayers. Casey Jackson and Jia Perkins scored 12 points each, and Amber Tarr added 11.
Tech First Big 12 School to Win at all League Schools
With Texas Tech's win at Iowa State, Jan. 19, Tech became the first school in the league to win at least one game at all Big 12 schools since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.
Tech One of Six
Texas Tech is one of six schools this week to have both the women's and men's basketball teams ranked in the top 25. The Lady Raiders are 15th in the Associated Press top 25 and 17th in the USA Today coaches poll, while the Red Raiders are 24th by the AP and 25th in the coaches poll. Stanford, Oklahoma, Duke, Florida and Georgia all have both the women's and men's teams ranked in both the AP and the USA Today top 25 this week.
Ayers Ties Career High Again
Sophomore Jolee Ayers tied her career-high 22 points again against Colorado. Ayers also recorded her second double-double of the season with 22 points and a career-high 16 rebounds vs. Colorado. Ayers had 22 points at Texas A&M. Ayers was 8-of-9 from the field. She also scored 22 points against Kansas earlier this year.
Tarr Matches Career High Boards
Senior Amber Tarr tied her career-high eight rebounds against Colorado. It also marked a season high for her.
Perkins Swats Away
Sophomore Jia Perkins tallied a career-high three blocks against Colorado.
Perkins Scores 20+ Again and Again
Sophomore Jia Perkins poured in 24 points at Kansas State and 22 at Texas A&M. She has scored 20-plus points on nine occasions this season.
Season High Assists for White and Tarr
Senior Candi White tied her season-high nine assists at Texas A&M. She also had nine against Baylor, while senior Amber Tarr had a season-high six assists at A&M. 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.
