No. 5 Lady Raiders Meet Wyoming Saturday
December 04, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2003
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#5 Texas Tech Lady Raiders (7-0) vs. Wyoming Cowgirls (0-3)
December 6, 2003 * Lubbock, Texas * 2 p.m.
United Spirit Arena (15,050)
Saturday's Game
No. 5 Texas Tech will take on Wyoming on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2 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 7-0 after beating California, 76-69, last Monday. On the year, senior Jia Perkins leads the team in scoring with a 19.0 average followed by freshman Alesha Robertson at 9.2. Senior Casey Jackson is the top rebounder, grabbing 7.9 boards per outing. Perkins is shooting 55 percent from the field, while sophomore Jametra Clark is shooting 54.5 percent. Robertson is shooting 45.5 percent from the three-point arc and freshman Brooke Baughman is shooting 42.9 percent. Sophomore Erin Grant has a team-high 39 assists, while Jackson and Perkins lead the team in steals with 11 apiece. Clark is the top shot blocker with nine blocks. The Lady Raiders are shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from three-point range and 74.2 percent from the free throw line.
Scouting the Opponent
Wyoming enters the game with an 0-3 record after losing to Southern Utah, 70-69, in overtime Nov. 28. In that game, junior Ashley Elliott scored a game-high 36 points followed by senior Brenda Pickup with nine. Freshman Michelle Lieber grabbed 15 rebounds, while Pickup dished out nine assists. Elliott also recorded four steals.
On the year, Elliott paces the Cowgirls in scoring with a 21.7 average followed by Pickup at 8.0. Lieber is the top rebounder as she is averaging 7.7 boards per outing. Pickup leads the team in assists with 16. Wyoming is shooting 36.4 percent from the field 33.9 percent from the three-point arc and 61.4 percent from the charity stripe.
Joe Legerski is in his first year at the helm of the Cowgirls and as a head coach with a record of 0-3.
Series Record
The series between Texas Tech and Wyoming is tied at 1-1. Tech won the first game, 69-46, on Dec. 8, 1978 in Lubbock but later had to forfeit the game due to an ineligible player. The Lady Raiders defeated the Cowgirls, 84-44, last year in Casper, Wyo., in the Wyoming Shootout.
Last Time Out
(AP) - The closer the game, the better Jia Perkins seems to like it. On Monday night, she proved that.
Perkins scored 23 of her 29 points in the second half, leading fifth-ranked Tech to a 76-69 victory over California.
She scored eight of Tech's nine points during a critical second-half run that helped the Lady Raiders break open a close game.
Casey Jackson added with 17 points and Natalie Ritchie 14 for the Lady Raiders, playing their third game in four days.
Nihan Anaz and Leigh Gregory had 17 points apiece for California.
Tech led 52-48 with 9:50 left when Perkins came up with a steal and went the length of the floor for an 8-foot jumper. She added consecutive jumpers on Tech's next two possessions, giving the Lady Raiders a 58-50 lead.
Jackson contributed a free throw before Perkins drove in for a layup that provided Tech with a 61-50 lead with 5:26 left. Following a Cal free throw, Perkins threw a pass to Jackson for a layup that pushed the margin to 63-51.
California moved to 67-59 on a three-point play by Gregory with 1:35 left and eventually closed the gap to 74-69 on a pair of free throws by LaTasha O'Keith in the game's final 10 seconds.
Olga Volkova and O'Keith added 10 points apiece for Cal, also playing for the third time in four days.
Cal's pressure defense forced the Lady Raiders into 19 turnovers and kept the game close throughout.
Tech led by as many as eight points in the first half, taking a 30-22 edge on a driving hoop by Erin Grant. Cal, though, took advantage of a lengthy offensive lull by Texas Tech and closed the gap to 34-32 with 1:29 left.
Jametra Clark's 12-footer closed the first-half scoring and gave the Lady Raiders a 36-32 lead at the break.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech will host 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. The Lady Raiders will play Maryland Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. CST., while San Diego and Georgetown tip-off at 10 p.m. CST. On Dec. 29, the consolation game will be at 8 p.m. with the championship game slated for 10 p.m. central time. The Lady Raiders return home for a game with Pepperdine Jan. 4. 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 515-159 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.
Go to Girl
After scoring only six points in the first half against California, senior Jia Perkins came out and poured in 23 second half points to finish with a game- and season-high 29 points.
Second D-D for Jackson
Senior Casey Jackson just had one double-double in her three years heading into this season, but after seven games, she now has three for her career. Jackson got her second double-double of the season with a season-high 17 points and 10 rebounds against California. Jackson had 10 points and a career-high 19 rebounds versus Rutgers in the Preseason WNIT championship game.
Senior Leadership
Texas Tech held on to claim a seven-point victory over California and a big reason was the play of three seniors. Jia Perkins, Casey Jackson and Natalie Ritchie combined to score 60 of Tech's 76 points. They connected on 25 of their combined 37 shot attempts for a 68 percent shooting percentage from the field.
Season-High FG Percentage
The Lady Raiders shot a season-high 51.7 percent from the field against California. Tech was 31-of-60 from the field on the night.
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 currently has 1,637 career points. 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 1,547 attempts. She cracked the top 10 in free throws made with 249.
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 the Dec. 1 polls in which Tech is ranked fifth in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA top 25 and fifth in the AP poll.
