Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders host Bears on Saturday
February 06, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2009
Lubbock, TX -- The Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-11, 1-6) return to the United Spirit Arena to host the Baylor Bears (15-7, 3-5) on Saturday evening. The game begins at 7 PM and will be televised on ESPNU.
Clay Matvick will call the play-by-play. Dickie Simpkins will provide the game analysis.
Mark Finkner will call the action against the Bears on Saturday evening along with analyst Corky Oglesby on the Texas Tech Sports Network local station Sports Radio 1340.
The Red Raiders and the Bears are meeting for the 118th game since the series began on January 2, 1937. Texas Tech has the overall lead in the series 73-44. The Red Raiders lead the series in Lubbock 40-13 while Baylor leads in Waco 29-27. Texas Tech has a 6-2 margin on neutral courts.
The Bears opened conference play hosting the Red Raiders on January 10. After their 73-61 win at home, Baylor has a 2-5 record against Big 12 opponents. They edged OSU in overtime and then won at KSU. Their losses were at Texas A&M, at OU, to UT, at Missouri, and to Kansas.
Baylor has four starters who are each averaging double figures for the 2008-2009 season. Curtis Jerrells leads all starters with 16.2 points per game. Kevin Rogers averages 12.7 points per game. He's followed by Henry Dugat's 12.4 points per game and Tweety Carter's 10.6 points per game.
Baylor's leading scorer, LaceDarius Dunn, comes off the bench to register 16.4 points per game. He has played in all twenty-two contests and has started three games.
Texas Tech earned their first conference victory of the 2008-2009 season with an eight-point win over Colorado (63-55) on January 20. Since then, the Red Raiders have lost two games on the road, their last home game against Nebraska, most recently at Oklahoma State.
After jumping out to an early lead against Oklahoma State, the Red Raiders led at halftime, 47-35. Texas Tech shot 56.7% (17-of-30) to OSU's 35.1% (13-of-37). OSU began chipping away at Tech's lead in the second half and took their first lead of the game with 2:47 remaining in the game.
The shooting percentages were reversed in the second half as OSU hit 12-of-23 shots (.522) to Texas Tech's 11-of-34 (.324). Byron Eaton (OSU) made 18-of-20 free throw attempts to Texas Tech's 9-of-10 attempts in the second half to become the deciding factor. The game was tied once and the lead changed five times before OSU emerged as the 81-80 winner.
OSU's Byron Eaton led both teams in scoring with 29 points. Alan Voskuil led the Red Raiders with 21 points.
Three Red Raiders are averaging double figures for the season. John Roberson is scoring 14.6 points per game. Alan Voskuil is averaging 13.9 points per game. Mike Singletary is adding 10.2 points per game.
After Saturday's game with Baylor, the Red Raiders have road games at Kansas State on February 11 and at Oklahoma on February 14 before they return home to face Oklahoma State on Wednesday, February 18.
The Texas Tech Athletic Ticket Office is now offering special Big 12 conference ticket packages for men's and women's basketball. For those fans excited about the upcoming seasons that cannot make it to every game, Texas Tech's new ticket packages may be just the right fit.
To become a season ticket holder or to purchase Big 12 conference game tickets for 2008-2009 men's basketball games at the United Spirit Arena, please call (888) GO-BIG-12 or (806) 742-TECH or stop by the Texas Tech Athletic Ticket Office in the north end of Jones AT&T Stadium.
