Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Look To Stay Unbeaten As They Host Cal
November 30, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2003
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#5 TEXAS TECH LADY RAIDERS (6-0) VS. CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (3-1)
December 1, 2003
Lubbock, Texas * 7 p.m.
United Spirit Arena (15,050)
Monday's Game
No. 5 Texas Tech will take on California on Monday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at the United Spirit Arena. The game can be heard on the All Sports Radio Network as Ryan Hyatt and Crystal Boles call the game.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 6-0 after beating SMU, 77-37, in the championship game of the SMU Hoops for the Cure Tournament last Saturday. On the year, senior Jia Perkins leads the team in scoring with a 17.3 average followed by freshman Alesha Robertson at 10.6. Senior Casey Jackson is the top rebounder, grabbing 7.5 boards per outing. Sophomore Jametra Clark is shooting 56.4 percent from the field and Perkins is shooting 51.9. Baughman is shooting 50 percent from the three-point arc. Sophomore Erin Grant has a team-high 31 assists, while Jackson and sophomore Chesley Dabbs lead the team in steals with nine apiece. Perkins and junior Cisti Greenwalt are the top shot blockers with six blocks each. The Lady Raiders are shooting 43.7 percent from the field, 31 percent from three-point range and 76.8 percent from the free throw line.
Scouting the Opponent
California enters the game with a 3-1 record after losing to No. 16/20 Colorado, 74-63, in Boulder, Colo., in the championship game of the Coors Classic. In that game, senior Nihan Anaz scored a team-high 17 points followed by senior LaTasha O'Keith with 15 and junior Leigh Gregory with 14. Gregory also added eight rebounds.
On the year, Anaz paces the Bears in scoring with a 15.8 average followed by Gregory at 12.0 and junior Kristin Iwanaga at 10.0. Gregory is the top rebounder as she is grabbing 7.3 boards per outing. O'Keith has a team-high 11 assists, while Anaz leads the team in steals with 12. Senior Olga Volkova is the top shot blocker with five blocks. Cal is shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from the three-point line and 73.9 percent from the charity stripe.
Caren Horstmeyer is in her fourth year at the helm of the Bears establishing a record of 32-57. She is also in her 16th year as a head coach with a career record of 253-181.
Series Record
California holds a 1-0 advantage over Texas Tech. In their only meeting, the Bears defeated the Lady Raiders, 62-60, Dec. 21, 1991 in the Tribune Classic in Berkeley, Calif.
Last Time Out
(AP) - A day after a disappointing defensive showing against Michigan, Texas Tech made up for it with a dominant performance against SMU. The No. 5 Lady Raiders (6-0) set a school record by holding the Mustangs to 17 percent shooting from the field Saturday night in a 77-37 victory in the championship game of the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic.
Tech allowed more than 50 points for the first time this season in beating Michigan 74-61 Friday.
Jia Perkins led Tech with 22 points. Against Michigan she scored just eight points and was benched for the game's final 15 minutes because of a coach's decision.
She responded by scoring 14 points in the first half against SMU. She finished 10-of-16 from the floor. SMU (1-2) shot a school-low 16.9 percent (11-of-65) and went 14:33 without a field goal. The Mustangs also equaled a school low with their 11 field goals. During the drought, Tech outscored SMU 31-4. The Mustangs hit just three of 30 shots in the opening half and trailed 37-14 at halftime.
LaToya Davis scored 12 points for Tech. Alesha Robertson had 11 and Jametra Clark added 10.
Kaira White's basket brought the Mustangs within 15-10 midway through the first half. SMU then missed 23 straight shots before Shonte Roberts scored on a putback early in the second half to make the score 46-16.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech will host Wyoming Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. and Pacific Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. before heading to Seattle, Wash., with a matchup with Washington Dec. 19 at 9:30 p.m. CST. The Lady Raiders will return home Dec. 21 to face Stanford at Noon on Fox Sports Net. Tech concludes 2003 by playing in the Surf 'N Slam San Diego Hoop Classic Dec. 28, 30.
Lady Raider Head Coach Marsha Sharp
One of the most respected and well-known coaches in Texas Tech history, Hall of Fame head coach Marsha Sharp is 514-159 in her 22nd year at the helm of the Lady Raiders. She has led the Lady Raiders to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 14 consecutive, and 10 NCAA Sweet 16 and four 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. In May 2003, she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Perkins, Robertson Named to All-Tournament Team
Senior Jia Perkins received her second-consecutive MVP tournament honors as she was selected the MVP of the SMU Hoops for the Cure Tournament. Freshman Alesha Robertson was also named to the all-tournament team.
Tech Holds SMU to Record-Low Shooting Percentage
Texas Tech held SMU to just 16.9 percent from the field, which set a school record for lowest shooting percentage by an opponent. The Mustangs hit just 11 of 65 shot attempts in the game. The previous school record was 17.6 percent (12-of-68) by Southwest Texas State on Jan. 1, 1993.
Perkins Matches Season-High 22
Senior Jia Perkins matched her season-high 22 points against SMU. She also scored 22 points against UC Santa Barbara Nov. 20.
Block Buster
Sophomore Jametra Clark recorded a career-high three blocks at SMU. Her previous career high was two, which she had tallied four times during her career.
12 in 10 Minutes for Davis
Sophomore LaToya Davis came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points in 10 minutes of action against SMU.
Up the Scoring List
Senior Jia Perkins moved into fifth place on Tech's all-time scoring list after the game against SMU. Perkins has 1,608 career points passing Plenette Pierson (1999-03) who finished her career with 1,602. Standing in fourth is Sheryl Swoopes (1991-93) with 1,645.
Robertson Back on Track
After missing the third game of the season with a sprained knee and playing sparingly in the fourth game, freshman Alesha Robertson played 22 minutes against Michigan and scored 13 points and added four rebounds, two assists and two steals. She then scored 11 points and tied her career-high five rebounds in 20 minutes of play against SMU.
Greenwalt Scores Season High
Junior Cisti Greenwalt scored a season-high nine points in 11 minutes of action against Michigan.
Jackson Ties Steals High
Senior Casey Jackson tied her career high of five steals against Michigan. Jackson also had five steals against Southern Miss in 2001.
Lady Raiders Claim WNIT Title
Texas Tech won the Preseason WNIT Tournament with a 74-35 victory over No. 15 Rutgers. The Lady Raiders won the tournament averaging 76.3 points a game, while their opponents averaged just 45.3 points a game for an average 31-point margin of victory. Perkins, Jackson Named to All-Tournament Team
Senior Jia Perkins was named the MVP of the Preseason WNIT tournament as she averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the four games. Senior Casey Jackson was also named to the all-tournament team.
Jackson Pulls Down Career High, Gets Double-Double
Senior Casey Jackson recorded her second career double-double and first of the season against Rutgers as she scored 10 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds. The 19 rebounds tied the Preseason WNIT record for most rebounds in a game.
Baughman Puts in Career High
Freshman Brooke Baughman scored a career-high nine points and tied her career highs of four assists and two three-pointers in Tech's victory over Rutgers. She also recorded her first block of her career.
Perkins Moves Up the Charts
Senior Jia Perkins moved into the top five on Tech's all-time field goal attempts list. She ranks fifth with 1,528 attempts. She cracked the top 10 in free throws made with 246.
Double Duty Day for Davis
Sophomore LaToya Davis turned in her first double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Western Kentucky. It marked her third double-double of her career.
Clark A Spark Off the Bench
Sophomore Jametra Clark came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points against Western Kentucky in 16 minutes of play. Last season, Clark had a then career-high 11 points against Texas A&M in Lubbock.
Freshman Has Back-to-Back Double Digits
Freshman Alesha Robertson made her collegiate debut with back-to-back double digit scoring games. Robertson chipped in 14 against UTSA and 10 against Western Kentucky.
100 Percent
Sophomore Erin Grant shot 100 percent from the field, three-point range and from the free throw line against Western Kentucky. Grant was 2-for-2 from the field, including 1-for-1 from the three-point line, and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Tech Ties School Record Turnovers
Texas Tech tied its school record for fewest turnovers in a game with five against Texas-San Antonio. The Lady Raiders also had five turnovers against Texas A&M on Jan. 31, 1983.
Perkins Has Career Highs
Senior Jia Perkins grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds against Texas-San Antonio and tied her career high of three blocks. Perkins' previous career high in rebounds was 12 against Creighton last year. She now has had three blocks on four occasions.
Flowers to Redshirt
Freshman Tawanna Flowers will redshirt the 2003-04 season. Flowers suffered a navicular fracture in her right foot during her senior season and is currently rehabbing the injury.
On the Tube
The Lady Raiders will make five national or regional television appearances in regular-season play this season. Texas Tech will appear on ESPN2 once and Fox Sports Net four times. On Fox Sports Net, Tech will play Stanford (Dec. 21), Baylor (Jan. 17), at Texas (Feb. 1) and at Baylor (Feb. 8). On Feb. 22, the Lady Raiders will play Texas on ESPN2. Tech will also have 11 games broadcasted on the local Red Raider Sports Network.
Wade Watch
Senior Jia Perkins was one of 35 players selected as a preseason candidate for the State Farm Wade Trophy/Division I Player of the Year Award by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
Perkins Preseason Wooden Award and Naismith Candidate
Senior Jia Perkins was named to the John R. Wooden Preseason All-America team and was one of 30 players chosen as a candidate for the John R. Wooden Award, which will be presented annually to the most outstanding female collegiate basketball player. She is also one of 30 preseason candidates for the Naismith Player of the Year Award.
Perkins, Grant Among the Best at Their Positions
Senior Jia Perkins was named one of the top five off-guards in the country by ESPN.com, while sophomore Erin Grant was selected as one of the top five point guards. Joining Perkins on the list were Alana Beard (Duke), Kelly Mazzante (Penn State), Diana Taurasi (Connecticut) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota). Along with Grant, Jamie Carey (Texas), Temeka Johnson (LSU), Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers) and Erika Valek (Purdue) made up the top five selections.
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 216 weeks. That includes this week's polls in which Tech is ranked fifth in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA top 25 and fifth in the AP poll.
