Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Travel to Kansas State
February 22, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game 27 vs. Kansas State • February 24, 2010
Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) • Manhattan, Kan. • 7 p.m. • FSNKC
The Game
Texas Tech (16-10/4-8) travels to Manhattan, Kan., to face Kansas State (12-14/4-8) on Wed., Feb. 24, at 7 p.m., at Bramlage Coliseum. It is the 18th meeting between the two schools.
On the Air
The game is being televised on FSNKC as Brent Stover (play-by-play) and Patti Phillips (color analyst) call the game. The game can be heard on the radio on the Texas Tech Sports Network as Steve Strain calls the game. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.texastech.com through RaiderVision All-Access. Live stats are available at www.kstatesports.com.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 16-10 overall and 4-8 in the Big 12 after defeating Kansas, 68-51, on Sunday. On the year, senior Ashlee Roberson paces the Lady Raiders in scoring with a 12.7 average followed by sophomore Kierra Mallard at 12.5 and senior Jordan Murphree at 11.7. Roberson is the top rebounder, grabbing 9.0 boards per contest and Mallard is averaging 7.1 rebounds. Mallard is shooting a team-best 45 percent from the field, while freshman Mary Bokenkamp is shooting 44.4 percent from the three-point arc and senior Tilmila Martin is shooting 80.5 percent from the free throw line. Freshman Monique Smalls has team highs of 107 assists and 56 steals. Mallard is the top shot blocker with 49 blocks. Tech is shooting 40.9 percent from the field, 31.2 percent from the three-point range and 65.2 percent from the charity stripe.
The Opponent
Kansas State enters the game on a three-game losing streak after falling to then No. 11/11 Oklahoma, 64-58, on Sunday. The Wildcats have a 12-14 overall record and a 4-8 mark in Big 12 play. In the game against the Sooners, senior Ashley Sweat scored a team-high 19 points, while freshman Brittany Chambers added 13 and sophomore Jalana Childs chipped in 11. Childs also had seven rebounds and senior Kari Kincaid dished out four assists. Freshman Taelor Karr collected three steals. On the year, Sweat leads the Wildcats in scoring at 17.1 points per game followed by Chambers at 12.5. Sweat is the top rebounder, averaging 5.5 rebounds per outing. Kincaid leads the team in assists with 74 and Karr has a team-high 41 steals. Sweat is the top shot blocker with 17 blocks. K-State is shooting 40.1 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three-point range and 73.3 percent from the free throw line.
The Series
It is the 18th meeting between Texas Tech and Kansas State with K-State holding a 9-8 advantage. The Wildcats have won the last six contests, including last year's 60-48 victory in Lubbock on Jan. 21. Tech's last win was a 71-65 triumph in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship on March 13, 2003, in Dallas. The last time the Lady Raiders won in Manhattan was on Jan. 18, 2000, in a 74-55 victory. Tech is 2-4 against the Wildcats in Manhattan.
The Coaches
Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry is in her fourth season at the helm of the Lady Raiders. Curry has compiled a record of 64-57 at Tech and a career record of 243-108 in 11 years. Deb Patterson is her 13th year as head coach at Kansas State with a carer record of 252-152.
Last Time vs. Kansas State
January 21, 2009 - Maria Moore and Kierra Mallard scored 13 points each for Texas Tech but it wasn't enough to hold off Kansas State as the Wildcats defeated the Lady Raiders 60-48. Kansas State jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the Lady Raiders scored their first bucket at 16:56 on a jumper by Mallard. Tech knotted it up at 8-8 at the 13:52 mark and neither team scored for the next two minutes until Shalee Lehning hit a jumper for the Wildcats to take a lead they would never relinquish. K-State got up by as many as eight points in the first half before Tech cut it to two points on a pair of free throws by Dominic Seals with 24 seconds to go in the half, as the Wildcats led 22-20 at the break. The second half saw Kansas State go on a 16-2 run from 16:17 to 7:12, in which the only points for the Lady Raiders were two free throws by Tilmila Martin as the Wildcats led 47-31. The 16-point advantage was K-State's biggest lead of the night, which occurred again at 49-33 with just under seven minutes remaining in the game. Mallard added eight rebounds to go with her 13 points. Tech only shot 32.2 percent from the field (19-59), while K-State hit 44.9 percent of its shots (22-49). The Wildcats outrebounded the Lady Raiders 40-32.
The Last Time Out
February 21 - Jordan Murphree scored 20 points to lead the Texas Tech women's basketball team to a 68-51 win over Kansas in Big 12 Conference action. The first half saw just two lead changes as Kansas scored the opening basket before Tech scored the next four points to take its first lead of the game at the 16:45 mark. The Jayhawks got up by as eight points at 28-20 as Monica Engelman hit a jumper with 4:23 remaining in the half. From there, the Lady Raiders outscored Kansas 11-4 to put the score at 32-31 in favor of the Jayhawks at the half. The second half belonged to Tech as it started the first eight and half minutes on a 15-4 run to take a 10-point lead at 46-36 on a jumper by Jordan Barncastle. It marked the Lady Raiders' first double-digit lead of the game. The Jayhawks scored on their next possession as Aishah Sutherland nailed a shot at the 11:14 mark to cut Tech's lead to eight. That was the closest Kansas would get as the Lady Raiders jumped out to a 17-point lead, 62-45, when Ashlee Roberson hit 1-of-2 free throw attempts with 1:55 remaining in the game. Tech once again led by 17 points as Roberson hit a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left in the contest to give her team a 68-51 win. Roberson finished with her third-straight double-double as she had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kierra Mallard, who returned to the court after missing four games due to a suspension, came off the bench to add 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Monique Smalls collected five assists for the Lady Raiders as well. Engelman led Kansas with 18 points, while Sutherland recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech's last two home games will be against Oklahoma State on Sun., Feb. 28, at 12 p.m. on FSN and Wed., March 3, versus Baylor at 7 p.m. Tech wraps up regular-season play at Missouri on Sun., March 7, at 1 p.m. The Big 12 Championship will be held in Kansas City, Mo., Thurs.-Sun, March 11-14, at Municipal Auditorium.
NCAA Stats
As of games through Feb. 21, sophomore Kierra Mallard ranks 29th in blocked shots per game at 2.2 and freshman Monique Smalls is 33rd in assist/turnover ratio at 1.88, among all NCAA Division I players. As a team, Texas Tech ranks 39th in steals per game at 10.4, among all NCAA Division I teams.
Top 25 Teams
The Lady Raiders have played 11 games against top 25 teams, including three top 10 teams, this year. Tech had played nine-straight games against a top 25 opponent prior to the game with Kansas.
Murphree Reaches 1,000 Points
Senior Jordan Murphree reached the 1,000th-career point plateau at UCLA with her third basket of the game, a three-pointer. Murphree finished with a then season-high 22 points. She now has 1,194 career points, which ranks 16th all-time at Texas Tech.
Cracking the Top 10
Senior Jordan Murphree collected one steal at Texas A&M to crack the top 10 on Texas Tech's career steals list. Murphree currently has 187 steals in her career, which stands 10th all-time. Standing in ninth is Gwen McCray (1980-83) with 190. Katrisa O'Neal (1997-01) holds the school record for steals with 352.
First Team Academic All-District
Senior Jordan Murphree was named CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI first team. Murphree graduated cum laude in just three years with a degree in exercise and sport science. She has a 3.60 GPA and is working on a second degree in human development and family studies. This is her first time to be selected to the first team as she has twice been named to the second team.
Big 12 Player of the Week
Senior Ashlee Roberson was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week for her performances the week of Feb. 8-14. Roberson averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in helping Texas Tech upset then No. 13/11 Texas A&M and No. 15/14 Oklahoma State.
Back-to-Back Top 15 Wins
Texas Tech got back-to-back wins over top 15 teams as it upset then No. 13/11 Texas A&M, 57-54, in Lubbock and then No. 15/14 Oklahoma State, 65-57, in Stillwater. The win at Oklahoma State marked the first time Tech had beaten a ranked team on the road since defeating No. 19/20 Nebraska, 70-69, on Feb. 14, 2007.
Roberson Adds More Double-Doubles
Senior Ashlee Roberson had her eighth, ninth and 10th double-doubles of the season in three-straight games as she had 10 points and 11 rebounds at then No. 15/14 Oklahoma State, then 12 points and 10 boards at No. 18/19 Baylor and 13 points and 10 rebounds versus Kansas. She now has 13 double-doubles in her career.
Mallard Returns to Action
Sophomore Kierra Mallard returned to the court against Kansas after missing the previous four games due to a suspension. Mallard came off the bench and scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and tallied two blocks, two steals and two assists.
Offensive Glass
For the second time in three games, the Lady Raiders grabbed a season-high 21 offensive rebounds. Tech had 21 rebounds at Oklahoma State on Feb. 13 and then pulled down another 21 boards against Kansas.
Barncastle Pours in Career High
Sophomore Jordan Barncastle led Tech in an upset at then No. 15/14 Oklahoma State as she poured in a career-high 19 points, breaking her previous career high of 17 points set earlier this season against San Francisco. She also nailed a career-high three three-pointers in that game.
Smalls Doing Dishes
Freshman Monique Smalls tied her career high of eight assists at OSU. She also dished out eight assists against Arkansas-Pine Bluff back in November.
Roberson Leads Tech to Upset Aggies
Senior Ashlee Roberson scored a game-high 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds and hit a career-high four three-pointers to lead Texas Tech in upsetting No. 13/11 Texas A&M. It the first time the Lady Raiders had upset a top 25 team since beating No. 8/12 Texas, 65-62 on Jan. 10, 2009. It was Roberson's fourth time to score 20 or more points this season.
Brown Returns to Starting Lineup
Freshman Chynna Brown returned to the starting lineup in the games at Iowa State and at Texas. She started the first two games of the season before coming off the bench the next 18 contests. At Texas, she scored eight points in the first half before being sidelined with an injury. Her injury kept her out of the Texas A&M game on Feb. 10, and she returned to action at Oklahoma State the following game and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds.
Seventh Double-Double for Roberson
Senior Ashlee Roberson recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Texas Tech's game at then No. 17/23 Texas.
Smalls Snatches the Ball
Freshman Monique Smalls tied her career high of six steals at No. 22/18 Iowa State. She also had six steals against Prairie View A&M back in November.
Smalls Ties Career-High Points
Freshman point guard Monique Smalls scored 11 points against then No. 11/12 Oklahoma, which tied her career high. Smalls also had 11 points against North Dakota back in December.
Murphree Has Another 20-Point Game
For the fifth time this season and the second in four games, senior Jordan Murphree had a 20-plus point effort as she poured in 28 points against then No. 11/12 Oklahoma. She was just one point of tying her career high of 29 points, which she had three games earlier against then No. 19/21 Texas.
Hyde Has Career-High Output
Freshman Christine Hyde came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points in a career-high 21 minutes of play against No. 6/4 Nebraska. Hyde broke her previous scoring high of nine points which she had against Texas-Arlington in November.
Second-Straight 20-Point Effort
Senior Ashlee Roberson poured in 22 points at then No. 9/9 Texas A&M. It marked her second-straight game of 20-plus points after scoring 29 against Texas.
Murphree, Roberson Score Career Highs Against Horns
Seniors Jordan Murphree and Ashlee Roberson both scored a career-high 29 points in Texas Tech's double overtime loss to then No. 19/21 Texas. Murphree also collected a career-high 13 rebounds and tied a career-high eight assists. It was her second double-double of her career.
Block Buster II
Sophomore Kierra Mallard tied her career high of six blocks against the Longhorns. She also had six blocks against Texas-Arlington earlier this season.
Smalls Grabs Big
Freshman point guard Monique Smalls got her first double-digit rebounding effort as she pulled down a career-high 10 boards against Colorado. Her previous career high was seven against Mercer in December.
School Record Set for Fewest Turnovers
After committing season highs of 28 and 27 turnovers in back-to-back games, the Lady Raiders went on to set a new school record for fewest turnovers in a game when they had just two against Savannah State. It broke the old school record of five which occurred twice - against Texas A&M in 1983 and UTSA in 2003.
Freshmen in the Backcourt
Freshmen Monique Smalls and Chynna Brown got the start in the backcourt in their first collegiate game. Smalls started at the one, while Brown got the nod at the two. It marked the first time two freshmen had started in the backcourt in their first collegiate game since Julie Lake and Rene Hanebutt did so against Kent State on Nov. 24, 1995, at the Coors/Rocky Mountain Invitational at Colorado State.
Team Captains
In a vote by their teammates, seniors Jordan Murphree and Ashlee Roberson and freshman Lindie Kimbro were selected team captains for the 2009-10 season.
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.
Murphree and Wright Connection
Assistant coach Shereka Wright and senior Jordan Murphree may have several things in common but one thing for sure is that both had the same high school coach, Skip Townsend. Townsend coached Wright at Copperas Cove High School and Murphree at Brock High School.
Elite Team
Freshman Mary Bokenkamp was one of seven players from her high school team, Regis Jesuit, last year to sign with a Division I school. The six other players signed with Gonzaga (Meghan Winters), Montana State (Kelsey Roben), Pepperdine (Keyah Shealy), Santa Clara (Ruta Zurauskyte), UCLA (Mariah Williams) and Utah (Diana Rolniak).
International Flair
Freshman Christine Hyde is just the second international player to don a Lady Raider uniform. Hyde comes to the South Plains from Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The first international player for the Lady Raiders was Patrice Edwards (2004-07) from Trinidad-Tobago.
Degree in Hand
In May 2009, senior Jordan Murphree graduated cum laude in just three years. The Brock, Texas, native received her bachelor's degree in exercise and sport sciences and is currently working on a second degree in human development and family studies. Senior Tilmila Martin graduated in December and senior Ashlee Roberson will graduate in May, both with degrees in human development and family studies.
On the Tube
Texas Tech will have 12 regular-season games televised this season. The Lady Raiders will appear on ESPNU three times, FSN twice, FSN Kansas City (FSNKC) once and the Texas Tech Sports Network (TTSN) six times. Tech will play Tennessee (L, 53-91), at Texas (L, 51-81) and Kansas (Feb. 21) on ESPNU. The Lady Raiders' games on FSN include Texas (L2OT, 90-95) and Oklahoma State (Feb. 28). Tech's game at Kansas State (Feb. 24) will be on FSNKC. The six games on TTSN were Arkansas-Pine Bluff (W, 97-57), Savannah State (W, 69-40), at Oklahoma (L, 58-73), Colorado (W, 74-61), Nebraska (L, 47-89) and Oklahoma (L, 66-70).
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 as he takes 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
Lady Raider Basketball with Kristy Curry
Kristy Curry's weekly television show, Lady Raider Basketball with Kristy Curry, is televised every Sunday throughout the rest of the season. The show will air on FOX34 at 10 p.m. and My Lubbock TV at 10:30 p.m.
he Kristy Curry Radio Show
The Kristy Curry Radio Show is held each Monday from 6-7 p.m., at Ruby Tequila's on north University Ave. across from campus. The show will air on Double T 104.3 (KTTU FM) locally.
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
The Lady Raiders inked four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. This year's class consists of 6-0 forward Kelsi Baker (Mesquite, Texas/John Horn), who is the 12th-ranked power forward and No. 71 overall player by ESPN HoopGurlz, 5-10 guard Antiesha Brown (Clovis, N.M./Clovis), 6-5 center Haley Schneider (Lubbock, Texas/Monterey) and 6-2 forward Ebony Walker (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia), who is the 25th-ranked power forward by ESPN HoopGurlz.
