Texas Tech University Athletics
No. 2 Seeded Lady Raiders Set To Open NCAA Tournament
March 20, 2003 | Women's Basketball
March 20, 2003
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* NCAA Tournament *
First Round - Midwest Region
No. 2 Seed #7/8 Texas Tech Lady Raiders (26-5)
vs.
No. 15 Southwest Missouri State Lady Bears (18-12)
March 23, 2003 * Lubbock, Texas * 6:05 p.m.
Television - ESPN
United Spirit Arena (15,050)
Sunday's Game
No. 2 seed and seventh/eighth-ranked Texas Tech (26-5) faces No. 15 seed Southwest Missouri State (18-12) in the first round of the NCAA Tour-nament in the Midwest Region on Sunday, March 23 at 6:05 p.m. on ESPN. Beth Mowins and Van Chancellor will be calling the game for ESPN. The game can also be heard on the All Sports Radio Network as Ryan Hyatt and Crystal Boles call the game. The second game will match up No. 7 seed and 18th/17th-ranked UC Santa Barbara and No. 10 seed Xavier 30 minutes following the Tech-SMS game.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 26-5 on the year and finished third in the Big 12 with a 13- 3 record. On the year, senior Plenette Pierson leads the team in scoring with a 17.8 average followed by junior Jia Perkins at 16.3. Pierson is the top rebounder, grabbing 7.6 boards per outing. Pierson is shooting 51.2 percent from the field and sophomore Cisti Greenwalt is also shooting 51.1 percent. Junior Miklannet Tennal is shooting 38.3 percent from three-point range, while junior Natalie Ritchie is shooting 34 percent. Freshman Erin Grant has a team-high 210 assists, while Perkins leads the team in steals with 79. Greenwalt is the top shot blocker with 75 blocks. The Lady Raiders are shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from three-point range and 66.5 percent from the free throw line.
Scouting the Opponent
No. 15 seed Southwest Missouri State enters the game with an 18-12 overall record and finished 11-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Lady Bears defeated Indiana State, 75-70, to win the MVC Tournament title. On the year, freshman Kari Koch paces the Lady Bears in scoring with a 14.6 average followed by sophomore Jenni Lingor at 13.7, junior Meg Tierney at 10.8 and junior Morgan Hohenberger at 10.6. Lingor is the top rebounder as she is averaging 5.7 board per contest. Hohenberger leads the team in assists with 131 and Koch has a team-high 90 steals. Junior Stephanie Busbey is the top shot blocker with 19 blocks. SMS is shooting 46 percent from the field, 39 percent from three-point range and 74.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Katie Abrahamson-Henderson is in her first year at the helm of the Lady Bears establishing a record of 18-12.
Series Record
It is the second meeting between Texas Tech and Southwest Missouri State with the Lady Raiders holding a 1-0 advantage. Tech beat SMS, 81- 77, in the finals of the Paradise Jam Classic in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Is-lands on Nov. 25, 2000.
Common Opponents
Texas Tech and Southwest Missouri State had two common opponents this season, Oregon State and Missouri. The Lady Raiders beat both teams: Oregon State, 67-51, Dec. 17 in Lubbock and Missouri, 84-50, Jan. 28 in Lubbock. The Lady Bears lost to both schools: Missouri, 68-52, Nov. 23 in Springfield and Oregon State, 49-42, in Springfield on Dec. 20.
Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament
Texas Tech is making its 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its 14th-consecutive bid into the event. The Lady Raiders have ad-vanced to the Sweet 16 eight times, the Elite Eight three times, the Final Four once and won the National Championship in 1993. Tech is hosting the first and second rounds for the sixth-straight year.
A Win on Sunday Would...
...give Tech a 10-3 first round record
...give Tech an 18-1 home record in the NCAA Tournament
...give Tech an overall record of 25-14 in the NCAA Tournament
Last Time vs. Out
(AP) - Stacy Stephens scored 16 points and No. 5 Texas hit all six of its free throws in the final two minutes to beat No. 8 Texas Tech 67-57 in the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament.
Texas trailed most of the game and was down by nine points with just under 14 minutes left, looking nothing like the team that came in with a 12- game winning streak.
But Stephens and frontcourt teammate Heather Schreiber began domi-nating the paint, and the Longhorns went on a 16-3 run to seize control of the game.
Stephens was selected MVP of the tournament and Schreiber was named to the first team.
Erin Grant scored 18 points to lead the Lady Raiders, who lost in the Big 12 final for the first time. They won the title in 1998 and '99. Texas won its 10th conference title, the first nine coming in the now-defunct Southwest Conference.
A tournament-record crowd of 10,717 turned out at Reunion Arena to see the latest chapter in this in-state showdown. The Longhorns swept the regular-season series, the first time that's happened since 1991. A few weeks later that season, the Lady Raiders beat Texas in the SWC tournament semi-finals. Poor shooting plagued Texas Tech this time. It shot 27 percent in the second half and scored 19 points - the team's lowest total in a half this season.
Stephens, who was averaging 23.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in first two games of the tournament, was mostly ineffective in first half. Long-armed Tech forward Jolee Ayers forced her to post up outside the key and take awkward shots over taller defenders. Stephens went 1-of-4 from the field and picked up her second foul with about five minutes left in the half. Texas coach Jody Conradt left her on the bench for the rest of the half. Stephens had her first shot of the second half blocked, and the Long-horns committed turnovers on their first three possessions. But slowly they worked themselves back into the game, and Nina Norman started the game-clinching spurt with a layup.
Schreiber scored six straight points, then Stephens scored the next eight points on a variety of smooth low-post moves. Texas senior guard Tai Dillard finished the run with a short jumper to put the Longhorns ahead 57-51, and they didn't surrender the lead again.
While Texas gets the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the Lady Raiders are assured an at-large bid. But neither has a realistic shot at a No. seed. Tech will host first- and second-round games in the tournament. The Lady Raiders played without starting guard Natalie Ritchie, who had a concussion late in a semifinal win over Kansas State. Ritchie was replaced in the lineup by junior Casey Jackson. Ritchie should be able to return in time for the NCAA tournament, Sharp said.
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 505-158 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 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 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 the Year honors seven times, five consecutively.
500 and Counting
Head coach Marsha Sharp claimed her 500th-career victory with a 59- win over Oklahoma Feb. 19. Sharp became just the 22nd NCAA Division coach to reach the 500 plateau.
Tech Knocks Off Top 10 Team
Texas Tech defeated No. 4 Kansas State, 73-64, March 6 in Lubbock which was the first win over a top 10 team since beating No. 9 Iowa State, 78- 66, Jan. 19, 2002. It was also the first time the Lady Raiders have beaten at top five team since defeating No. 3 Vanderbilt, 81-71, Dec. 29, 2001. Tech then beat No. 5/7 Kansas State, 71-65, in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tourna-ment. The game against Texas in the championship of the Big 12 Tournament marks the fourth time in five games Tech has faced a top 10 opponent.
All-Tournament Team
Senior Plenette Pierson and junior Jia Perkins were both named to the All-Tournament team of the 2003 Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament. In the three games, Pierson averaged 18.3 points and nine rebounds while shooting 51.2 percent from the field. Perkins aver-aged 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Grant Scores Career High
Freshman Erin Grant scored a career-high 18 points against Texas in the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament. Her previous high was 16 at Oklahoma.
Sixth Double-Double for Pierson
Senior Plenette Pierson recorded her sixth double-double of the season and the 20th of her career as she had 22 points and 11 rebounds in the Big 12 Tournament semifinal game against Kansas State.
Pierson Up the Charts
After the game against Texas (3/15), senior Plenette Pierson moved to sixth on Tech's all-time scoring list with 1,529 points. She also ranks third in free throw attempts (613), fourth in free throws made (379), eighth in field goals made (575), eighth in field goal attempts (1148), eighth in blocks (111) and ninth in rebounds (740)
Ritchie in Top Five
Junior Natalie Ritchie attempted nine three-pointer against Kansas State (3/13) to move her to fifth on Texas Tech's all-time list for three-point field goal attempts with 415.
Perkins Up To Ninth in Scoring
Junior Jia Perkins scored 21 points against Oklahoma State (3/12) to move her to ninth on Tech's all-time scoring list. She currently has 1,453 points. Perkins Has All-Around Game, Named Big 12 Player of the Week Not only did junior Jia Perkins scored 26 points against No. 4 Kansas State, she also added five rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. For her performance, she was named Big 12 Player of the Week March 7.
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 nominee for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is presented to the top point guard in the country. Head coach Marsha Sharp is a finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year.
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.
Big 12 and Tech Record
Texas Tech holds the Big 12 and school record for blocks in a season with 209.
Stealing Jia
Junior Jia Perkins collected a career-high seven steals at Nebraska. Her previous career high was six, which she had on five occasions. Perkins ranks fourth on Tech's all-time list for steals with 257. Block Buster Sophomore Cisti Greenwalt has recorded 75 blocks this season, which ranks second on Tech's single-season list for blocks. Greenwalt ranks fourth on Tech's career list for blocks with 135, tied with Gwen McCray (1979-83).
Block Party
Texas Tech tied its school record of 13 blocks at Oklahoma State. Tech has had 13 blocks on five times , including against Wyoming this season.
Grant Gets Another Double Digit Assist Game
Freshman Erin Grant recorded her seventh game of the season of 10 or more assists. Grant tallied 10 assists against Kansas State (3/13). She holds the freshman record for assists in a season with 210, which also ranks sec-ond on Tech's single-season list for assists. Her six games of 10 or more assists have come against Valpo (10), Washington (14), Creighton (10), Rutgers (12), Oklahoma State (11), at Baylor (13), Kansas State (10).
Outshooting Opponents
Texas Tech has outshot its opponents in 28 of 31 games this season. Tech shot a season-high 62.5 percent against Oklahoma State and a sea-son- low 33.3 percent at Nebraska. The Lady Raiders have shot 50 percent or better eight times this year. Tech is 9-0 on the season when shooting 50 percent from better.
On the Tube
The Lady Raiders have made 10 national or regional television appear-ances in this season and hold a 7-3 on TV. Tech appeared on ESPN2 twice and Fox Sports Net five times. Tech lost to Louisiana Tech (85-76) and beat Iowa State (70-48) on ESPN2. The Lady Raiders' games on Fox Sports Net included: Washington (W, 99-67), Oklahoma State (W, 95-45), at Colorado (W, 80-58), Texas (L, 70-67), Kansas State (W, 73-64), vs. Oklahoma State (W, 75-52), vs. Kansas State (W, 71-65) and vs. Texas (L, 67-57).
RPI
As of games through March 16, Texas Tech was ranked sixth in the WBCA/Summerville RPI (rate percentage index).
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 212 weeks. That includes this week's Associated Press poll in which Tech is ranked seventh and eighth in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches poll.
