Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders To Play Nebraska
February 25, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 25, 2003
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#7/9 Texas Tech Lady Raiders (22-3/11-2 Big 12)
vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-16/1-12 Big 12)
February 26, 2003 * Lincoln, Neb. * 7:05 p.m.
Television - Locally in Lubbock on UPN22
Wednesday's Game
No. 7/9 Texas Tech (22-3/11-2) plays at Nebraska (8-16/1-12) on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7:05 p.m. It is the 10th meeting between the two schools. The game will be televised in Lubbock on UPN22. The game can be heard on the All Sports Radio Network as Ryan Hyatt calls the game. The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 22-3 on the year and 11-2 in the Big 12 after winning at Oklahoma State, 83-48, last Saturday. On the year, senior Plenette Pierson leads the team in scoring with a 17.8 average followed by junior Jia Perkins at 15.8. Pierson is the top rebounder, grabbing 7.3 boards per outing. Freshman Erin Grant is shooting 52 percent from the field and Pierson is shooting 51.7 percent. Junior Miklannet Tennal is shooting 44.7 percent from three-point range, while junior Natalie Ritchie is shooting 36.3 percent. Grant has a team-high 177 assists, while Perkins leads the team in steals with 58. Sophomore Cisti Greenwalt is the top shot blocker with 70 blocks. The Lady Raiders are shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
Scouting the Opponent
Nebraska enters the game with an 8-16 overall record and 1-12 in the Big 12 after losing at Texas, 86-54, last Saturday. In that game, junior Alexa Johnson scored a team-high 15 points followed by seniors Margaret Richards and Laura Pilakowski with nine points apiece. Junior Greichaly Cepero grabbed eight rebounds, while Richards and sophomore Jina Johansen each had four assists.
On the year, Johnson paces the Cornhuskers in scoring with a 15.5 average followed by Richards at 11.7. Senior Amanda Cleveland is the top rebounder as she is averaging 6.9 boards per contest. Johansen leads the team in assists with 138, while Richards has a team-high 32 steals. Cleve-land is the top shot blocker with 37 blocks. Nebraska is shooting 37.5 per-cent from the field, 29.5 percent from three-point range and 68.8 percent from the charity stripe.
Connie Yori is in her first year at the helm of the Huskers establishing a record of 8-16. She is also in her 13th year as a head coach with a career record of 203-156.
Series Record
It is the 10th meeting between Texas Tech and Nebraska with Tech holding a 7-2 advantage. The Lady Raiders won last year's contest, 99-57, Feb. 23 in Lubbock. Tech has won the last six games. The last time the Huskers were victorious was Feb. 9, 1997 in a 62-57 triumph in Lincoln, Neb. The Lady Raiders are 2-2 in Lincoln.
Last Time vs. Nebraska
Feb. 23, 2002 - Jia Perkins scored 23 points and Natalie Ritchie added 21 with a career-high six 3-pointers as No. 17 Texas Tech beat Nebraska 99- 57.
Ritchie hit two 3-pointers as Texas Tech broke the game open with a 14- 2 run midway through the first half.
Perkins and Ritchie combined for nine 3-pointers, a season high for Tech. Perkins also had seven assists. Casey Jackson grabbed 12 rebounds for the Lady Raiders.
Stephanie Jones led Nebraska with 11 points.
Tech forced 21 turnovers and scored 41 points off the Nebraska mis-cues. Tech's second-leading scorer, Amber Tarr, didn't play because of back spasms.
A Win Wednesday Would ...
- give head coach Marsha Sharp her 502nd-career victory
- give Tech a 23-3 overall record and 12-2 in the Big 12
- give Tech an 8-2 record against Nebraska
Last Time Out
(AP) - Jia Perkins and Cisti Greenwalt scored 14 points apiece as eighth-ranked Texas Tech rolled to an 83-48 victory Saturday night over Oklahoma State.
Natalie Ritchie added 13, and LaToya Davis had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Lady Raiders (22-3, 11-2 Big 12), who made it an easy season sweep of Oklahoma State. They had beaten the Cowgirls by 50 points at home on Jan. 18.
Oklahoma State (6-18, 2-11) got 15 points from Trisha Skibbe, but shot just 25.7 percent (18-of-70) and was overmatched in all areas. The Lady Raiders had a 59-24 advantage on the boards and blocked 13 shots to more than offset their 25 turnovers.
Texas Tech got points from five players in taking a 13-4 lead. After the Cowgirls got within 13-7, Tech went five trips without scoring but Oklahoma State did just the same, going 0-for-8 during that time.
The score was 17-11 when the Lady Raiders went on a 12-4 run to make it a 14-point lead with just under five minutes left before halftime. After the Cowgirls got within 31-20, Tech scored 11 points straight to go ahead 42- 20.
Ritchie scored the first five points of the second half to give the Lady Raiders a 25-point lead. Oklahoma State got no closer than 21 points the rest of the way.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech will conclude the 2002-03 regular season with two home games; March 2 against Texas at 12:30 p.m. and March 6 versus Kansas State at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be televised on Fox Sports Net.
Lady Raider Head Coach Marsha Sharp One of the most respected and well-known coaches in Texas Tech his-tory, head coach Marsha Sharp is 501-156 in her 21st year at the helm of the Lady Raiders. Entering the 2002-03 season, Sharp was the seventh active winningest coach among Division I coaches. She has led the Lady Raiders to 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 13 consecutive, and nine 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.
Sharp was also the head coach of the 2002 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Team, which won the gold medal in Brazil.
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.
500 and Counting
Head coach Marsha Sharp claimed her 500th-career victory with a 59- 48 win over Oklahoma Feb. 19. Sharp became just the 22nd NCAA Division I coach to reach the 500 plateau.
Award Finalists
Senior Plenette Pierson has been named a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year Award and the Senior CLASS Award, while freshman Erin Grant is a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is presented to the top point guard in the country.
NCAA Stats
As of games through Feb. 17, freshman Erin Grant is eighth (top fresh-man) in assists per game (7.0), sophomore Cisti Greenwalt ranks 11th in blocked shots per game (2.8) and senior Plenette Pierson is 40th in scoring (18.2) among all NCAA Division I players. As a team, Texas Tech ranks sec-ond in blocked shots per game (7.1), sixth in scoring margin (19.7), sixth in field goal percentage defense (34.5), won-lost percentage (87.0), ninth in scoring offense (78.7), ninth in field goal percentage (47.6), 11th in turnovers per game (14.3), 15th in rebound margin (7.3) and 21st in assists per game (17.6).
21st 20-Win Season
Texas Tech got its 21st 20-win season and its 14th-straight 20-win sea-son with the win over Texas A&M. Tech also had three 30-win seasons within those 14-straight 20-win seasons.
