Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Open Season at New Mexico Friday
November 10, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2010
Upcoming Promotions
Samford Game • Nov. 15
•Football VIP Card Offer - Football season ticket holders show VIP card for a special $5 ticket rate
•Double T Day - Kids 12 and under admitted free with a paying adult. •Guns Up Club Members get free admission
•Double T Deal is currently online and runs through the non-conference season (http://www.texastech.com/marketing/double-t-deal.html). Fans can print the flyer, provide contact information and present it at the ticket window for a buy one, get one free.
For more details on any promotions, fans can call 806-742-8300.
Texas Tech at New Mexico
Friday, November 12 • 8 p.m. CST • Albuquerque, N.M. • The Pit/Bob King Court
The Game
Texas Tech opens the 2010-11 season at New Mexico on Fri., Nov. 12, at 8 p.m. CST at The Pit. It is the 14th meeting between the two schools.
On the Air
The game can be heard on the radio on the Texas Tech Sports Network as Steve Strain calls the game. The game will be webcast and live audio will be available. Both will be available at www.texastech.com through RaiderVision All Access. Live stats are available through gametracker at www.texastech.com.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech returns eight letterwinners, including three starters, and welcomes seven newcomers to this year's squad. Tech returns juniors Jordan Barncastle and Kierra Mallard. Mallard is the top returning scorer, averaging 11.4 points last year, which was third on the team. She also averaged 7.1 rebounds, second-best last season. Barncastle averaged 5.8 points and 2.4 boards. Also returning are six sophomores - Marissa Ashton, Mary Bokenkamp, Chynna Brown, Christine Hyde, Lindie Kimbro and Monique Smalls. Smalls was the only player to start all 33 games in 2009-10 and she led the team in assists with 135, while averaging 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds. Hyde and Brown averaged 5.3 and 4.0 points, respectively as both saw some time in the starting lineup. Ashton played in 30 games, while Bokenkamp saw action in 29. Kimbro appeared in 10 games. The seven new additions include senior Teena Wickett who played two years at Pepperdine where she was named All-West Coast Conference as a freshman. Sophomore Casey Morris will be suited up for the first time since sitting out last year after transferring from California and redshirt freshman Shauntal Nobles returns after tearing her Achilles during preseason workouts a year ago. Four freshmen also grace the roster - Kelsi Baker, Antiesha Brown, Haley Schneider and Ebony Walker.
The Opponent
New Mexico returns three starters and seven additional letterwinners from a team that went 19-13 last year, while adding a redshirt freshman and five freshmen to its 2010-11 roster. The Lobos top returning player was junior Sara Halasz who averaged 10.2 points last season but suffered an ACL tear a couple weeks ago. Senior Amanda Best averaged 8.9 points last year. Senior Jessica Kielpinski is the top returning rebounder, averaging 5.8 boards as a junior.
The Pit
New Mexico recently finished a $60 million renovation to its arena - The Pit. The game on Friday night will be the first regular-season game in the newly renovated facility.
The Series
It is the 14th meeting between Texas Tech and New Mexico with the Lady Raiders holding an 11-2 advantage. Tech won last year's game, 65-55, on Dec. 5 in Lubbock. The Lobos were victorious in 2008, 63-54, in Albuquerque on Dec. 13. Tech's last win in Albuquerque came on March 29, 2003, in the NCAA Sweet 16 when the Lady Raiders beat the Lobos, 71-48, to advance to the Elite Eight. Tech is 4-2 against UNM in Albuquerque.
The Coaches
Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry is in her fifth season at the helm of the Lady Raiders. Curry has compiled a record of 66-62 at Tech and a career record of 245-113 in 11 years. Don Flanagan is in his 16th year as New Mexico's head coach with a career record of 327-150.
Season Openers
Texas Tech is 24-11 in season openers and 4-0 in the Kristy Curry era. Last year, Tech defeated Sam Houston State, 91-52, in its season opener on Nov. 14, in Lubbock.
The New Mexico Connection
Two Lady Raiders will begin their collegiate basketball career back in their home state of New Mexico on Friday night and actually one of them will do so in her hometown of Albuquerque. Freshman foward Ebony Walker hails from Albuquerque, while freshman guard Antiesha Brown calls Clovis home.
The Last Time Out
The Texas Tech women's basketball team got a 92-46 win over Angelo State in an exhibition game Sunday afternoon at the United Spirit Arena. The Lady Raiders opened the game on a 17-1 run the first six and half minutes of the game. ASU scored its first bucket, a three-pointer, at the 13:35 mark. Tech's biggest lead of the half was 22 points at 45-23 when Christine Hyde hit a layup with just 27 remaining in the period. The Lady Raiders led 45-25 at halftime. Tech stepped it up a notch in the second half as it increased its lead by as many as 37 points the first eight minutes. The Lady Raiders outscored the Rambelles 47-21 in the final period. Tech's largest lead of the game was 48 points as Kelsi Baker sank a jumper to put the score at 88-40 with 3:41 to go. The Lady Raiders had four players score in double figures led by Chynna Brown with 15 followed by Christine Hyde with 13, Kierra Mallard with 12 and Casey Morris with 11. Brown also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and added four steals, while Mallard collected five assists. Angelo State was led by Karli Kellermeier with 10 points. Tech outrebounded ASU 56-30 and shot 50.7 percent from the field to the `Belles 27.8 percent.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech opens its home portion of its schedule with seven-straight games in Lubbock starting with Samford on Mon., Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. on the Texas Tech Sports Network. The Lady Raiders then host Idaho State on Sun., Nov. 21, at 3:30 p.m. and Mississippi Valley State on Tues., Nov. 23, at 5:30 p.m. Tech once again hosts a Basketball Travelers tournament and this year its the World Vision Classic Nov. 26-28. On Fri., Nov. 26, Tech plays Charleston Southern at 6 p.m., followed 30 minutes after by American and Sam Houston State. On Sat., Nov. 27, the Lady Raiders face American at 12 p.m. followed by Sam Houston State and Charleston Southern. On Sun., Nov. 28, Charleston Southern plays American at 12 p.m. followed by Tech and Sam Houston State at approximately 2 p.m. The last game of the seven-game home stretch is a match-up with UTSA on Wed., Dec. 1, at 7 p.m.
Wright to Be Inducted into Hall of Fame
Assistant coach Shereka Wright will be inducted into the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in May 2011. Wright was the USA Today, Gatorade and WBCA Player of the Year as a senior at Copperas Cove High School in 2000. She was also named first team all-state and Miss Basketball in the state of Texas. She finished her high school career with 3,269 points.
New Faces
Texas Tech has four new faces in the locker room this season - freshmen Kelsi Baker, Antiesha Brown, Haley Schneider and Ebony Walker. Also making their first appearance in a Lady Raider uniform is senior Teena Wickett, sophomore Casey Morris and redshirt freshman Shauntal Nobles. All three sat out last season.
Class Breakdown
The 2010-11 Lady Raiders are young. This year's roster has just three upperclassmen with one senior - Teena Wickett - and two juniors - Jordan Barncastle and Kierra Mallard. The sophomore class consists of Marissa Ashton, Chynna Brown, Mary Bokenkamp, Christine Hyde, Lindie Kimbro, Casey Morris and Monique Smalls. The five freshmen round out the roster - Kelsi Baker, Antiesha Brown, Shauntal Nobles, Haley Schneider and Ebony Walker.
Coaches Have Ties
Head coach Kristy Curry has put together a staff that is very familiar with each other. Curry has ties with all of her three assistant coaches with the first being her husband, Kelly Curry. Kelly has been on both of Kristy's staffs as a assistant coach at Purdue and Texas Tech, while Brooke Stoehr and Shereka Wright were both players for Kristy and Kelly. Stoehr, the former Brooke Lassiter was a guard at Louisiana Tech from 1998-2002 and played one season for Kristy and Kelly when they were both assistant coaches for the Lady Techsters. That year, 1999, Louisiana Tech advanced to the NCAA Final Four. In the spring of 1999, Kristy became the head coach at Purdue and in the fall of 1999 she signed Wright to attend Purdue. Wright helped lead Purdue to the 2001 National Championship game and was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team.
On the Tube
Texas Tech has nine regular-season games televised this season. The Lady Raiders will appear on FSN twice - Feb. 19 vs. Baylor and Feb. 26 vs. Oklahoma State. The game at Kansas on Jan. 8 will air in the Kansas City metro area on Metro Sports. Six games will be televised on the Texas Tech Sports Network - Samford (Nov. 15), Northwestern State (Dec. 7), Kansas State (Jan. 15), at Oklahoma (Jan. 19), Texas A&M (Feb. 5) and Oklahoma (Mar. 5). David Thetford will be doing the play-by-play for the Texas TechSports Network while former Lady Raider head coach Marsha Sharp will provide the color commentary.
Follow the Lady Raiders
All Lady Raider basketball games can be heard live on the Texas Tech Sports Network. TTSN has put together a seven-station network that offers coverage through the state of Texas and in parts of New Mexico. KJTV/KLZK-Lubbock serve as the network flagship stations. Listen to play-by-play by Steve Strain and color commentary by Crystal Boles as they take the court with the Lady Raiders. The following radio stations will air the Lady Raider basketball games this season: Abilene/Haskell - KVRP 97.1 FM
Hereford - KPAN 106.3 FM
Hobbs, NM - KHOB 1390 AM
Lamesa - KPET 690 AM
Lubbock - KJTV 950 AM
Lubbock - KLZK 97.3 FM
Plainview - KVOP 1090 AM
The Kristy Curry Radio Show
The Kristy Curry Radio Show be held on 10 Mondays throughout the season beginning in December. The show will be held at Ruby Tequila's located on north University Avenue from 6-7 p.m. The following are the dates for the 2010-11 season: December 6, 13; January 10, 17, 24, 31; February 7, 14, 28; and March 7.
