Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Take On Tennessee In Sweet 16
March 23, 2005 | Women's Basketball
March 23, 2005
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NCAA Championship
Philadelphia Regional • Semifinals (Sweet 16)
No. 4 Seed #14/14 Texas Tech Lady Raiders (24-7/12-4 Big 12)
vs.
No. 1 Seed #3/3 Tennessee Lady Vols (28-4/13-1 SEC)
March 27, 2005 • Philadelphia, Pa. • 11 a.m. CST
Television4ESPN
The Liacouras Center (10,206)
The Game
No. 14/14 Texas Tech is the No. 4 seed in the Philadelphia Regional and will face No. 1 seed and third-ranked Tennessee in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Championship at The Liacouras Center on Sun., March 27, at 11 a.m. CST. No. 2 seed and eighth/seventh-ranked Ohio State takes on No. 3 seed and ninth/10th-ranked Rutgers in the second semifinal game approximately 30 minutes after the Texas Tech-Tennessee game. The winners of the each semifinal game will play on Tues, March 29, in the regional final with the winner advancing to the Final Four in Indianapolis, Ind., April 3-5.
On the Air
The game is being televised on ESPN as Sean McDonough (play-by-play) and Doris Burke (color analyst) call the game. Erin Andrews will be the sideline reporter. The game can be heard on the All Sports Radio Network, in Lubbock on KFYO-AM 790 and KKCL-FM 98.1, with play-by-play by Ryan Hyatt.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 24-7 and finished Big 12 regular-season play tied for third with a 12-4 record. On the year, four Lady Raiders are scoring in double figures led by senior Cisti Greenwalt at 13.2. Sophomore Alesha Robertson is at 12.7, junior LaToya Davis at 12.5 and junior Chesley Dabbs at 12.3 points a game. Davis is shooting a team and Big 12-high 61.6 percent from the field. Robertson is shooting 38.1 percent from behind the arc and a Big 12-high 86.3 percent from the free throw line. Greenwalt is the top rebounder, grabbing 8.8 boards per outing. Junior Erin Grant has team highs of 213 assists and 39 steals and leads the Big 12 in assists per game at 7.10 and assist/turnover ratio at 3.55. Greenwalt is the top shot blocker with 101 blocks and leads the conference in blocks per game at 3.26. Texas Tech is shooting 46.1 percent from the field - first in the Big 12, 36.3 percent from three-point range and 70.1 percent from the charity stripe.
Scouting the Opponent
Tennessee enters the game with a 28-4 overall record after beating Purdue, 75-54, in the second round of the NCAA Championship. In that game, junior Tye'sha Fluker scored a game-high 18 points, while senior Shyra Ely added 16. Junior Shanna Zolman and freshman Nicky Anosike chipped in 15 and 11 points, respectively. Fluker collected 10 rebounds, senior Loree Moore dished out five assists and Anosike tallied six steals and three blocks.
On the year, Ely paces the Lady Vols in scoring with a 14.4 average followed by Zolman at 12.5. Ely is the top rebounder, averaging 7.0 rebounds per contest. Freshman Alexis Hornbuckle has team highs of 100 assists and 57 steals. Anosike leads the team in blocks with 28. Tennessee is shooting 41.7 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 70.3 percent from the free throw line.
Pat Summitt, the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history - men or women, is in her 31st year at the helm of the Lady Vols establishing a career record of 880-171.
Series Record
Texas Tech is looking for its first win against Tennessee as the Lady Vols lead the series 4-0. The two programs met for the first time almost exactly 10 years ago on March 25, 1995, in the NCAA Elite Eight in Knoxville. Tennessee was victorious 80-59 in that meeting. The two teams met up later that year on Nov. 11, 1995, as the Lady Raiders lost, 81-44, in Knoxville. On Dec. 18, 1996, the Lady Vols handed Tech a 79-71 loss in Lubbock. In their last meeting, Tennessee beat Tech, 57-44, in the NCAA Elite Eight in Memphis, Tenn., March 27, 2000.
Common Opponents
Texas Tech and Tennessee had three common opponents during the 2004-05 season as both team played Texas, Stanford and Mississippi. Tech lost to Stanford, 61-58, Nov. 28, in Santa Clara, Calif., and beat Mississippi, 86-38, Dec. 12, in Lubbock. The Lady Raiders split with Texas during Big 12 Conference play, winning 79-62 in Lubbock, Jan. 12, and losing 64-43 in Austin, Feb. 13. The Lady Vols lost to Texas, 74-59, Nov. 25, in Austin, and won in Knoxville against Stanford, 70-67, Dec. 21, and against Mississippi, 99-67, Feb. 6.
Texas Tech in the NCAA Championship
Texas Tech is making its 18th appearance in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship and its 16th-consecutive bid into the event. The Lady Raiders have advanced to the Sweet 16 11 times, the Elite Eight four times, the Final Four once and won the National Championship in 1993. Tech is making its sixth trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in the last seven years.
Last Time Out
(AP) - Alesha Robertson had forgotten what it felt like to be open so much, and she wanted the ball every possible chance for Texas Tech.
With Middle Tennessee focusing so much of its defensive attention inside, Robertson kept finding room outside. And she made the most of her chances, scoring 25 points in Texas Tech's 80-69 second-round win in the NCAA tournament Monday night.
When she got free, Robertson waved her arms begging for the ball. The sophomore made 10-of-18 shots with five 3-pointers for her fifth 20-point game this season - her first in two months.
Texas Tech (24-7), makes its 11th appearance in the NCAA round of 16 next weekend in Philadelphia against the winner of Tuesday night's Tennessee-Purdue game.
After pulling off a first-round upset for the second straight year, Middle Tennessee (24-9) missed becoming just the second No. 12 seed to win twice in the tournament. The Lady Raiders fell too far behind early and couldn't get Patrice Holmes the chance for another game-winning shot.
Despite the defensive focus inside, 6-foot-5 Texas Tech center Cisti Greenwalt had 19 points and six rebounds, and LaToya Davis had 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Greenwalt started the second half with consecutive putback baskets to give Texas Tech 50-29 lead. Middle Tennessee then scored 12 straight points, only for Robertson to hit a 3-pointer.
Robertson had 15 points in the first half, including consecutive 3s that pushed Tech ahead by 15. She made 5-of-11 from long range.
Greenwalt already had 12 points after she made all four of her shots in the first half - all in the paint - and hit four free throws for a 46-29 halftime lead.
Holmes, who hit the game-winning jumper with 1.6 seconds left Saturday for the 60-58 upset of North Carolina State, scored 25 points. Krystle Horton had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Chrissy Givens had 14 points for Middle Tennessee.
Twice in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, which Middle Tennessee won for the automatic NCAA bid, Holmes made game-winning shots.
With 39 seconds left Monday, Holmes hit an acrobatic left-handed hook shot from the free throw line to make it 77-69 - the closest MTSU got after halftime. But fittingly, Robertson responded with another 3-pointer.
Robertson hit the first shot of the game, then had a 3-pointer and a layup to push Texas Tech to a 9-2 lead. The other Tech basket in the first 3 minutes was Greenwalt's layup.
Texas Tech has won seven of its last nine games, the only losses coming against Big 12 regular season and tournament champion Baylor.
A Look Ahead
The winner of Sunday's game will face the winner of the Ohio State/Rutgers game in the regional finals (Elite Eight) on Tues., March 29, on ESPN.
NCAA Stats
As of games through March 14, Texas Tech ranks second in blocked shots per game at 7.4, fourth in field goal percentage defense at 34.3, sixth in turnovers per game 13.6, ninth in assists per game at 17.4, 10th in scoring margin at 17.6, 16th in scoring defense at 54.3, 20th in field goal percentage at 45.5, 23rd in rebound margin at 6.3, 24th in scoring offense at 71.9 and 26th in personal fouls per game at 14.4, among all NCAA Division I teams. Junior Erin Grant ranks third in assists per game at 6.9 and senior Cisti Greenwalt ranks 10th in blocked shots per game at 3.3, among all NCAA Division I players.
Another 20-Win Season
Texas Tech is 24-7, marking its 16th-straight 20-win season and Marsha Sharp's 20th in her 23 years as head coach. It is also the 23rd 20-win season overall for the Lady Raiders.
Grant Nominee For Lieberman Award
Junior Erin Grant has been named one of 10 nominees for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top point guard. Three finalists will be named from this list prior to the selection of the winner. This is Grant's third year to be nominated.
All-Big 12 Honors
Senior Cisti Greenwalt and junior Erin Grant garnered first team All-Big 12 honors, while junior Chesley Dabbs was named to the second team, which was voted on by the league coaches. Junior LaToya Davis and sophomore Alesha Robertson were honorable mention selections. Greenwalt, Dabbs and Davis were all first time all-conference honorees, as Grant was second team and Robertson was honorable mention in 2004.
Naismith Coach of the Year Finalist
Head coach Marsha Sharp was named a finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year. She was one of 20 coaches in the country selected to the finalist list.
Robertson Gets Hot
Sophomore Alesha Robertson poured in 25 points in Texas Tech's win over Middle Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Championship. It was the first time she had scored 20 or more points since scoring 27 at Colorado Jan. 15. Robertson has scored 20-plus points on five occasions this season, including a career-high 37 points against Miami Dec. 6.
Double Duty for Davis, Again
Junior LaToya Davis registered another double-double in the win over Middle Tennessee, making it her first back-to-back double-double of the season. Davis had 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds against MTSU. She had a career-high 26 points and 14 rebounds, while adding three steals and two blocks in the previous game against Texas-Arlington. Davis has five double-doubles on the year.
Starters Getting the Job Done
All five starters combined to score all but four of Tech's 80 points against Middle Tennessee. Sophomore Alesha Robertson led the way with 25 followed by senior Cisti Greenwalt with 19 and juniors Erin Grant, LaToya Davis and Chesley Dabbs with 12, 11 and nine, respectively.
Season-High Shooting
Texas Tech shot a season-high 58.5 percent from the field against Middle Tennessee. The Lady Raiders connected on 31 of 53 shot attempts. It was the 12th time for Tech to shoot 50 percent or better this season. Three times this year the Lady Raiders have had back-to-back games of 50 percent or higher and once have put together three-straight games of 50 percent or better.
40 More Minutes
Junior Erin Grant played all 40 minutes against Middle Tennessee, which was the fourth time for her this season. She also recorded 40-minute games against Oklahoma, at Baylor and vs. Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament. She also has played all but one minute in three contest this season. Also against Middle Tennessee, junior LaToya Davis played the entire game, which was a career first for her.
Grant Making the Pass
Junior Erin Grant dished out 12 assists against UTA, marking her sixth game of the season to tally 10 or more assists in a game. Grant also collected a season-high seven rebounds against the Mavs.
Griffin Ties Career Highs
Freshman Darrice Griffin tied her career-high 11 points in Tech's loss in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament to Baylor March 10. Griffin had scored 11 points earlier in the year against Idaho State.
Season-High Boards for Dabbs
Junior Chesley Dabbs grabbed a season-high nine rebounds against the Lady Bears in the Big 12 Tournament semis. Dabbs recorded a previous season high of eight rebounds versus Virginia Tech back in December. Her career high is 11 against Colorado last year.
Robertson Matches High Assists
Sophomore Alesha Robertson matched her career-high four assists against Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. Robertson has dished out four assists five times in her career, including three occasions this season.
Starters Put Up Numbers
The five starters combined for 56 of Tech's 61 points against Iowa State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Junior Chesley Dabbs and sophomore Alesha Robertson both had a team-high 13 points, while senior Cisti Greenwalt and junior Erin Grant each added 12 points. Robertson hit the game-winning free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining in the game. Junior LaToya Davis chipped in three points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Grant also dished out a game-high nine assists. Freshman Judith Smith came off the bench and hit two key three-pointers for the Lady Raiders.
Greenwalt Sets Single-Season Block Record
Senior Cisti Greenwalt has recorded 101 blocks this season which sets a new Texas Tech and Big 12 record for blocks in a single season. She broke former Lady Raider Crystal Boles' record of 90 blocks which was registered during the 1996-97 season.
Upperclassmen Take Charge
Senior Cisti Greenwalt and junior Erin Grant, LaToya Davis and Chesley Dabbs combined to score 75 of Texas Tech's 83 points at Oklahoma. Grant led the way with a season-high 21 points followed by Davis with 20, Greenwalt with 19 and Dabbs with 15. The foursome then combined for 50 of Tech's 65 points in its win over Oklahoma State. Greenwalt and Davis both finished with 14 points, while Dabbs and Grant chipped in 11 points apiece.
Tech's Post Masters
Post players senior Cisti Greenwalt and junior LaToya Davis have scored in double figures in 22 games this season. Greenwalt has played in all 31 games, while Davis has seen action in 30, missing one game with an injured knee. Davis has scored in double digits in eight of the last nine games. Greenwalt leads the team in scoring at 13.2, while Davis is third at 12.5.
Grant Breaks School Record
Junior Erin Grant became Texas Tech's career leader for assists in the win over Texas A&M. The Arlington, Texas, native recorded 10 assists against the Aggies to give her the school record. Grant currently has 656 career assists, which ranks third all-time in the Big 12.
Greenwalt Scores 1,000th Point, Gets Another Double-Double Senior Cisti Greenwalt put up her 10th double-double of the season with 10 points and 14 rebounds against Texas A&M. It was her 20th double-double of her career. The 10 points enabled Greenwalt to record her 1,000th career point. She now has 1,094 points in her career at Tech.
Dabbs Getting the Minutes
Junior Chesley Dabbs played all forty minutes against Texas A&M, which was the third game this season she has played all 40 minutes of a game. She also played 44 of the 45 minutes in the overtime game versus Virginia Tech in December. Dabbs is averaging a team-best 33.35 minutes a game.
Season Low Shooting
Texas Tech shot just 27 percent from the field at Texas, marking its lowest shooting percentage of the season. Tech was 17-of-63 for the night.
Best Output in Conference Play
Texas Tech's 89 points against Iowa State was the most points the Lady Raiders have scored against a conference opponent this year and their second-best output for all games this season. Tech scored a 109 points against Miami (Fla.) Dec. 6.
Tech vs. Top 25
Texas Tech is 3-6 against teams ranked in the top 25. The Lady Raiders beat No. 12/11 Texas (79-62, Jan. 12), No. 14/14 Iowa State (89-62, Feb. 8) and No. 18/19 Iowa State (61-59, March 9), while losing to No. 7/5 Stanford (61-58, Nov. 28), No. 20/18 Kansas State (55-53, Jan. 22), No. 8/9 Baylor (52-49, Feb. 5), at No. 17/17 Texas (64-43, Feb. 13), at No. 7/8 Baylor (79-69, Mar. 3) and vs. No. 6/6 Baylor (58-57, March 10).
Career Assists for Grant
Junior Erin Grant dished out a career-high 15 assists at Texas A&M. Her previous career high was 14 on two occasions.
Career High for Dabbs
Junior Chesley Dabbs scored a career-high 22 points in Texas Tech's win at Colorado. Her previous career-high was 21 against Ole Miss earlier this season.
100th Big 12 Win
Texas Tech got its 100th Big 12 regular-season win Jan. 12 in a 79-62 triumph over Texas. Tech is the first school in the Big 12 to get 100 regular-season wins in league play. The Lady Raiders are 109-35 in the Big 12.
School Record 3s
Sophomore Alesha Robertson set the school record for most three-point shots made in a game with nine against Miami en route to scoring a career-high 37 points. The previous record was eight set last season by Natalie Ritchie against Oklahoma State. Robertson was 9-for-12 from three-point range.
Big 12 Career Block Leader
Senior Cisti Greenwalt is now the Big 12 Conference's all-time leader in blocked shots with 296. She passed Britt Hartshorn of Colorado (1999-02), who had 208, as the league's career leader in blocks. Greenwalt set the Texas Tech school record last season.
100-Point Game
Texas Tech scored 109 points in its victory over Miami Dec. 6. Last season, Tech scored at least 100 points on two occasions: 100 vs. Pacific Dec. 8, 2003 and 106 vs. Oklahoma State Jan. 10, 2004. The 2003-04 season was the first time Tech had scored 100-plus points more than once in the same season since 1994-95. The 109 points versus Miami marks the 11th season Tech has accomplished the feat of scoring 100 or more points in a game. During 1992-93, Tech scored 100 or more points on six occasions, which is the most of any Lady Raider season.
Winning Percentage By Class
The senior class, which consists of just one player - Cisti Greenwalt is 98-33 (.748) and 43-21 (.672) in the Big 12. The juniors post a 78-21 (.788) mark and 35-13 (.729) in the conference. The sophomore class is 49-15 (.766) and 22-10 (.688) in the league, while the freshmen are 24-7 (.774) and 12-4 (.750) in the Big 12.
On the Tube
Texas Tech had 16 regular-season games televised this season. Those airing on FSN include: vs. Stanford (L, 61-58), at Oklahoma State (W, 76-38), Kansas State (L, 55-53), at Texas A&M (W, 67-54) and at Baylor (L, 79-69). Tech played at Colorado (W, 87-41). The Lady Raiders faced Texas (L, 64-43) on ESPN2. On the Texas Tech Television Network, Tech played Arkansas-Little Rock (W, 69-29), Oral Roberts (W, 79-46), Sacramento State (W, 83-37), Oklahoma (W, 70-64), Texas (W, 79-62), Missouri (W, 74-45), Iowa State (W, 89-62), Texas A&M (W, 56-53) and Oklahoma State (W, 65-52). In postseason play Tech has had two games on FSN - Iowa State (W, 61-59) and Baylor (L, 59-58); and two games on ESPN2: Texas-Arlington (W, 69-49) and Middle Tennessee (W, 80-69).
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 250 weeks. That includes the March 14 polls in which Tech is ranked 14th in the Associated Press top 25 poll and 14th in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches poll.
Grant Among the Best at Her Position
Junior Erin Grant was selected as one of the top five point guards in the country by ESPN.com. Joining Grant on the list were Jamie Carey (Texas), Dionnah Jackson (Oklahoma), Temeka Johnson (LSU) and Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers).
Follow the Lady Raiders
All Lady Raider basketball games can be heard live on the All Sports Radio Network on KFYO-AM 790 and KKCL-FM 98.1 locally. Listen to play-by-play by Ryan Hyatt as he takes the court with the Lady Raiders. The following radio stations will air the Lady Raider basketball games this season:
Amarillo - KIXZ-AM (940)
Haskell - KVRP-FM (97.1)
Hereford - KPAN-AM/FM (860/106.3)
Lamesa - KPET-AM (690)
Lubbock - KFYO-AM/KKCL-FM (790/98.1)
Midland - KMMD/KRIL-AM (1510/1410)
Plainview - KVOP-AM (1090)
Sidelined
Freshman Enrica Johnson will be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing ACL revision on her right knee on Feb. 4. Johnson is expected to go through approximately six months of rehabilitation. Sophomore Patrice Edwards suffered an ACL injury to her right knee prior to the Big 12 Tournament and will be out the rest of the year. She will undergo surgery after the season.
