Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders and Aggies Square-Off in College Station
February 15, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Texas Tech (14-10/2-8) vs. #20/19 Texas A&M (17-7/5-5)
February 17, 2008 • Reed Arena (12,500) • College Station, Texas
3 p.m. • ESPN2
The Game
Texas Tech (14-10/2-8) travels to No. 20/19 Texas A&M (17-7/5-5) on Sun., Feb. 17, for a 3 p.m. game at Reed Arena. The game is "Think Pink" day for the Aggies. Women's basketball programs across the country are teaming up with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) to promote breast cancer awareness.
On the Air
The game is being televised on ESPN2 with Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Nancy Lieberman (color analyst) calling the game. The game can be heard on the radio on the Texas Tech Sports Network as Ryan Hyatt calls the game. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.texastech.com through RaiderVision All-Access.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 14-10 on the year and 2-8 in the Big 12 suffering a heart-breaking loss to No. 15/15 Oklahoma State, 58-56, last Thursday in Lubbock. On the year, junior Dominic Seals paces the Lady Raiders in scoring with a 13.6 average followed by senior Erin Myrick at 10.4 and sophomore Jordan Murphree at 8.9. Seals is the top rebounder, grabbing 8.8 boards per outing and Myrick is averaging 5.9 rebounds. Myrick is shooting a team-high 51.1 percent from the field and sophomore Raquel Christian is shooting a team-best 39.7 percent from three-point range. Seals is 73.3 percent from the free throw line. Moore has team highs of 96 assists and 39 steals. Seals is the top shot blocker with 31 blocks. Tech is shooting 41.6 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from three-point range and 68.3 percent from the charity stripe.
Scouting the Opponent
No. 20/19 Texas A&M has won four of its last five games and enters the game with a 17-7 overall record and 5-5 in the Big 12 after losing at No. 10/10 Oklahoma, 68-56, last Tuesday. In that game, senior Patrice Reado scored a team-high 19 points and junior Takia Starks added 13. Junior Danielle Gant and senior Morenike Atunrase both chipped in 10 points. Gant and junior La Toya Micheaux both grabbed six rebounds and senior A'Quonesia Franklin collected five assists. Reado tallied four steals on the night as well.
On the year, Starks leads the Aggies in scoring with a 17.2 average followed by Gant at 14.6. Gant is the top rebounder as she is averaging 7.3 boards per contest. Franklin leads the team in assists with 118, while Gant has team highs of 59 steals and 23 blocks. Sophomore Damitria Buchanan also has a team-best 23 blocks. Texas A&M is shooting 40.5 percent from the field, 30.3 percent from the three-point arc and 68.2 percent from the free throw line.
The Coaches
Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry is in her second year at the helm of the Lady Raider basketball program with a 29-26 record. Curry is in her ninth year as a head coach with a career record of 208-77.
Gary Blair is in his fifth year as the head coach of the Aggies, establishing a record of 90-57. He is also in his 23rd year as a head coach with a career record of 498-220.
Series Record
Texas Tech and Texas A&M are meeting for the second time this year and the 65th time in the series. The Lady Raiders own a 52-12 advantage over the Aggies. Texas A&M has won the last four games, including the first game this year - 63-46, Feb. 2, in Lubbock. Tech's last win was a one-point victory, 56-55, on Jan. 7, 2006, in Lubbock. The Lady Raiders are 21-5 against the Aggies in College Station.
Last Time vs. Texas A&M
Feb. 2, 2008 - Takia Starks scored 22 points and Texas A&M went on a 22-0 run in the second half of a 63-46 victory against Texas Tech. Texas Tech led by as many as six in the second half and was up 43-39 with 11:50 to play before going scoreless for 10 minutes. Jordan Murphree, who led Tech with 12 points, finally ended the drought on a 3-pointer that made it 61-46 with 1:23 remaining. The Aggies ended the game on a 24-3 run, with nine coming from Morenike Atunrase and five from Danielle Gant. Those two combined for 21 second-half points for A&M. Texas Tech had another scoreless drought of seven minutes to start the game, committing eight turnovers during that span. But two steals by Murphree led to three-point plays by Keisha Walker and Dominic Seals during a 9-2 run for Tech's first lead at 14-12 with 10:03 left in the first half. Walker also had a 3-pointer during the run. Starks scored the next 10 points for the Aggies, but Walker hit a 3-pointer to give Tech a 25-24 halftime lead. Texas Tech had 20 turnovers and was outrebounded 40-26.
Last Time Out
Shaunte Smith hit two free throws with 2 seconds left to give No. 15 Oklahoma State a come-from-behind 58-56 victory over Texas Tech on Thursday night.
Texas Tech (14-10, 2-8 Big 12) led by as many as eight points with 15:15 to go before the Cowgirls went on an 11-2 run, capped by an Andrea Riley 3-pointer, to grab a 34-33 lead.
Danielle Green hit back-to-back jumpers as Oklahoma State stretched the lead to 52-45 with 3:20 left. But Tech rallied to tie it at 56 with 9 seconds left on a pair of free throws by LaVonda Henderson.
Stanecia Graham fouled Smith, setting up the winning free throws. Riley led Oklahoma State (20-3, 8-2) with 21 points. Taylor Hardeman scored 15. Smith's free throws were her only points of the night.
Graham led Tech with 14 points. Dominic Seals added 12 and Jordan Murphree 11.
Texas Tech led 22-21 at the half.
Oklahoma State shot 32 percent from the field, while Texas Tech shot 39 percent.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech returns home for its final three home games of the season - Wed., Feb. 20, versus Kansas at 7 p.m. on the Texas Tech Television Network; Sun., Feb. 24, at 2 p.m. against Nebraska; and Wed., Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. against Oklahoma on the Texas Tech Television Network. Tech wraps up the regular season with games at Oklahoma State Sat., March 1, at 6 p.m. and at Texas Wed., March 5, at 7 p.m. on FSNSW. The Big 12 Championship will be held March 11-15 in Kansas City, Mo.
Curry Captures 200th Career Win
Head coach Kristy Curry captured her 200th career win in the victory over Kennesaw State Nov. 23. Curry enters the game with a career record of 208-77.
NCAA Stats
As of games through Feb. 10, Texas Tech ranks 17th in rebound margin at 7.5 and 39th in field goal percentage defense at 36.9, among all NCAA Division I teams.
Against the Top 25
Texas Tech is 2-6 against teams ranked in the top 25. The Lady Raiders got their first top 25 win of the season as they defeated then No. 18/19 Arizona State, 73-69, on Dec. 18. The Sun Devils were the first top 25 team Tech faced this season. Tech fell at then No. 25/21 Arkansas, 80-57, on Jan. 5, and lost to then No. 8/8 Baylor, 72-67, on Jan. 9. The Lady Raiders beat then No. 24/23 Texas, 70-58, on Jan. 20, before losing at then No. 11/11 Oklahoma, 78-39, on Jan. 23. Tech lost at home to then No. 23 Texas A&M, 63-46, on Feb. 2. The Lady Raiders fell at then No. 5/5 Baylor, 66-45, Feb. 9, and suffered a heart-breaking loss to then No. 15/15 Oklahoma State, 58-56, Feb. 14. Last year, the Lady Raiders beat three top 25 teams (UCLA, Texas, Nebraska).
Tough Big 12 Start
Texas Tech started 0-3 in Big 12 play, before getting its first league win against then No. 24/23 Texas, 70-58, in Lubbock on Jan. 20. The 0-3 start marked the first time the Lady Raiders had started off the Big 12 season with three losses. Tech started off 0-2 in 2000 and went on to share the Big 12 title with Iowa State and Oklahoma.
Tech Suffers Worst Loss of Season
Texas Tech suffered its worst loss of the season with a 39-point loss, 78-39, at then No. 11/11 Oklahoma on Jan. 23. It was the Lady Raiders' worst loss since losing at Louisiana Tech, 95-54, on Jan. 11, 1990.
Double-Figure Scoring Games
Junior Stanecia Graham scored a team-high 14 points against Oklahoma State, marking the first time since Dec. 18 that she had scored double figures in back-to-back games. She had 11 the previous game at Baylor. Back in December, she scored 14 against Arizona State and then 13 versus Oral Roberts. Sophomore Jordan Murphree scored 11 points to give her back-to-back games of 10 or more points. Murphree had 10 at Baylor. It was also her first time for consecutive double-figure scoring games since December when she had 12 against Oral Roberts and 16 against SMU.
Murphree Blocks High and Knocks Down Career-High 3s
Sophomore Jordan Murphree knocked down a career-high three three-pointers versus the Cowgirls, breaking her old mark of the two. She also swatted two shots, which tied her career high. She has had two blocks five times in her career, including one other time this season at UCF in the season opener.
Graham Ties Career-High Steals
Junior Stanecia Graham snatched three steals versus Oklahoma State, tying her career high. She also had three steals at Arkansas in January.
Seals Gets 17th Double-Digit Scoring Effort
Junior Dominic Seals chipped in 12 points against the Cowgirls for the 17th time to score in double digits this season.
Graham Pulls Down Career High
Junior Stanecia Graham pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds at Baylor last week. Graham's previous career high was 10 against Sam Houston State back in November. She also added 11 points for her second double-double.
Seals Ties Career-High Blocks
Junior Dominic Seals tied her career-high three blocks at Baylor. It marked the fifth time she had swatted three blocks. And junior Tiny Henderson tied her career-high five steals against the Lady Bears.
Season Low Field Goal Percentage at Baylor
The Lady Raiders shot just 24.6 percent from the field against the Lady Bears. Tech hit just 16-of-65 shot attempts.
Outrebounding Opponents
For the 18th time this season, the Lady Raiders outrebounded their opponent as they collected three more rebounds than the Lady Bears. Tech has outrebounded its opponents in six of the last nine games.
Henderson Scores Season High at Iowa State
Junior Tiny Henderson poured in a season-high 17 points at Iowa State, just two points shy of tying her career-high of 19. She also collected five assists and season highs of six rebounds and four steals.
Season Low Turnovers
Texas Tech committed just 10 turnovers in its loss at Iowa State, marking a season low for the Lady Raiders. Their previous season low was 11 against Arizona State back in December.
Pulling Down the Boards
Junior Dominic Seals had her ninth double-figure rebounding game as she pulled down 10 boards versus the Aggies.
Seals Misses Ninth Double-Double Against Buffs
Junior Dominic Seals barely missed her ninth double-double of the season as she had 21 points and nine rebounds in Texas Tech's win over Colorado.
Career-High Assists for Tiny
Junior Tiny Henderson dished out a career-high eight assists against the Buffaloes, surpassing her old career high of five which she had two times in her career.
Roberson Swats Career High
Sophomore Ashlee Roberson swatted three blocks in the game against Colorado, which tied her career high. She also had three against SMU.
Moore Scores Career High At Oklahoma
Junior Maria Moore scored a career-high 15 points at Oklahoma last Wednesday. Her previous high was 14 on two occasions. She also tied her career highs of six rebounds and two three-pointers against the Sooners.
Seals Leads Tech to First Big 12 Win
Junior Dominic Seals poured in a career-high 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Texas Tech to its first Big 12 win of the season in its victory over Texas Jan. 20. It was her eighth double-double of the season. She also tied her career highs of three blocks and three assists.
Roberson Picks Up First Career Double-Double
Sophomore Ashlee Roberson had career highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds against Texas Jan. 20 for her first career double-double.
Moore Ties Career-High Assists Against Horns
Junior Maria Moore tied her career-high nine assists against Texas. She also had nine dishes at Washington State back in December.
Second Double-Double for Myrick
Junior Erin Myrick recorded her second double-double of the season at Missouri as she finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. It marked the ninth double-double in her career.
Seals Picks Up Seventh Double-Double
Junior Dominic Seals picked up her seventh double-double of the season as she tied her career-high 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Baylor in Tech's league opener.
Block Buster
Senior Erin Myrick tied her career high of four blocks against the Lady Bears on Jan. 9. It marked the second time this season she has recorded four blocks, and the fifth time in her career.
Five Score in Double Digits
In Tech's five-point loss to Baylor, the Lady Raiders had five players score in double figures. Junior Dominic Seals led the way with a game-high 22 points, while senior Erin Myrick added 11 points. Junior Maria Moore and sophomores Jordan Murphree and Ashlee Roberson all finished with 10 points.
Sixth Double-Double for Seals Leads to Big 12 Honor
Junior Dominic Seals had a then career-high 22 points and a career-high 16 rebounds for her sixth career double-double in the win over SMU, which led to her being named to her second-straight Big 12 Rookie of the Week honor. In that game, Seals also had a career-high three assists and tied her career highs of three blocks and two steals.
Three-Straight 20-Point Games
Junior Dominic Seals scored 20 or more points in three-straight games. She had 20 against Arizona State, 20 versus Oral Roberts and 22 against SMU. It marked the first time a Lady Raider had scored 20-plus points in three-straight games since Jia Perkins did from Jan. 23-30, 2002. Seals has scored 20-plus points in five of the last nine games.
Myrick Grabs Season High
Senior Erin Myrick grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds against the Mustangs, just one board shy of her career high of 14.
Roberson Matches Career Highs
Sophomore Ashlee Roberson tied her then career high of 11 points and then career-high eight rebounds against SMU. Her three blocks in the game marked a career high.
Shooting 50 Percent or Better
For the third time this season, the Lady Raiders shot 50 percent or better from the field. Tech shot 50 percent against Oral Roberts, connecting on 31-of-62 shot attempts. The Lady Raiders shot a season-high 58.5 percent against Northeastern and 54.7 percent at Washington State earlier this season.
Big 12 Rookie of the Week
Junior Stanecia Graham was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week for her performances Nov. 26-Dec. 2. Graham averaged 19 points and eight rebounds in Texas Tech's two wins that week. The Aurora, Ill., native had career highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double against Sam Houston State. She also tied her career-high two blocks in her first starting assignment. Graham shot 70 percent from the field (7-10) versus the Bearkats. At Washington State, the 6-1 junior forward came off the bench to tie her career high of 19 points, while adding six rebounds and shooting 69.2 percent from the field (9-13).
Largest Margin Victory
Texas Tech won at Washington State, 89-45, marking its largest margin of victory this season. It was also the Lady Raiders' biggest win on the road since beating Colorado, 87-41, in Boulder on Jan. 15, 2005.
Longest Double-Figure Win Streak Since 1994-95
Texas Tech won its first nine games this season by double figures, which was the longest double-figure winning streak since winning 17-straight games by 10 or more points during the 1994-95 season.
Scoring Points
Texas Tech has scored at least 70 points in 13 of its 14 wins this year, already surpassing last year's total (seven times) of 70 or more points in a game. Last season, the Lady Raiders scored 70-plus points just seven times with a record of 6-1 in those games. The one loss was the only game Tech scored 80-plus points, which was an overtime loss at Oklahoma (86-81). So far this year, Tech has scored 80 or more points six times, including 90 points against Alcorn State and a season-high 91 points versus Oral Roberts.
Basketball Travelers Classic Honors
Senior Erin Myrick was named MVP of the Basketball Travelers Classic as she averaged 16.7 points and six rebounds, while shooting 80 percent from the field in Tech's three wins. She also tallied seven blocks. Junior Dominic Seals was named to the all-tournament team after she averaged 14 points and 7.7 rebounds, and shot 57.7 percent from the field.
New Faces
Seven junior college transfers grace this year's roster and two players who redshirted last season. Dominic Seals (Dallas), the 2007 State Farm/WBCA Junior College Player of the Year from South Plains College is joined by fellow SPC teammates Alana Rumph (Keller) and Ashlee Roberson (San Antonio). From Cloud County Community College is Stanecia Graham (Aurora, Ill.), and from the College of Southern Idaho is Maria Moore (Sparks, Nev.). Keisha Walker (Kansas City, Mo.) played two years at Fort Scott Community College, while Kaylan Talley (Waco) played one year at Clarendon College. Roberson and Talley both have three years of eligibility. Talley will redshirt this year after tearing her ACL during the summer. Sophomore Maddy Brown will see action after redshirting last season after transferring from Pittsburgh, and junior walk-on Kalee Davidson also redshirted last year after playing two years at UC Irvine. Brown sat out the first 13 games after breaking her left foot.
Across the Nation
The 15 Lady Raiders hail from five states across the country with 10 coming from the state of Texas. Sophomore Maddy Brown is from the furthest east, hailing from Honeoye Falls, N.Y., while senior Erin Myrick is from the furthest west coming from Duarte, Calif. Junior Stanecia Graham is from Aurora, Ill., and junior Keisha Walker calls Kansas City, Mo., home. Junior Maria Moore's hometown is Sparks, Nev.
South Plains Connection
Three current Lady Raiders were teammates at South Plains College before arriving at Texas Tech. Juniors Dominic Seals and Alana Rumph played two years for the Lady Texans, while sophomore Ashlee Roberson was there for one season. South Plains College has been a pipeline for the Lady Raiders over the years as several standouts have played at SPC prior to being a Lady Raider, including Sheryl Swoopes, Angie Braziel and Aleah Johnson, just to name a few.
Seeing Double
Two players on this year's roster have twin sisters. Junior Stanecia Graham has a twin sister, Alicia, while junior Kalee Davidson has a twin sister, Kristee.
Preseason Honors
Junior Dominic Seals was named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, which was voted on by the league coaches.
Degree in Hand
Senior Erin Myrick graduated cum laude in May 2007 with a degree in broadcast journalism with minors in English and Spanish. Myrick is currently working on a second degree in public relations with a minor in general business.
On the Tube
Texas Tech has 14 regular-season games televised this season. The Lady Raiders will play on ESPN2 once, FSN three times, FSNSW once, FSNMW once and the Texas Tech Television Network eight times. Tech played at Kansas State (L, 45-71) on FSNMW. On FSN, Tech plays Texas (W, 70-58), Colorado (Jan. 26) and at Baylor (L, 45-68). The Lady Raiders play on FSNSW at Texas (Mar. 5). Tech's ESPN2 game is at Texas A&M (Feb. 17). The Lady Raiders have games against IPFW (W, 72-51), Alcorn State (W, 90-55), Sam Houston State (W, 84-51), Houston (L, 63-66), Oral Roberts (W, 91-61) at Oklahoma (L, 39-78), Kansas (Feb. 20) and Oklahoma (Feb. 27) on the Texas Tech Television Network.
Follow the Lady Raiders
All Lady Raider basketball games can be heard live on the Texas Tech Sports 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:
Haskell/Abilene - KVRP-FM (97.1)
Hereford - KPAN-AM/FM (860/106.3)
Lamesa - KPET-AM (690)
Lubbock - KFYO-AM/KKCL-FM (790/98.1)
Plainview - KVOP-AM (1090)
Inside Lady Raider Basketball with Kristy Curry
Kristy Curry's weekly television show, Inside Lady Raider Basketball with Kristy Curry, is televised every Sunday. The show airs on FOX34 at 10 p.m. and My Lubbock TV at 10:30 p.m.
The Kristy Curry Radio Show
The Kristy Curry Radio Show is held each Monday from 6-7 p.m. at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar located at 4th and Milwaukee. The show airs on KFYO-AM 790 locally.
