Texas Tech University Athletics
Saturday Showdown
December 02, 2011 | Women's Basketball
The undefeated and No. 19 Lady Raiders face No. 16 Penn State in a showdown at the United Spirit Arena Saturday at 2 p.m.
December 2, 2011
by Britton Drown
Texas Tech Athletics Communications
Kelsi Baker struggles to hold back a laugh when talking about this Lady Raider squad. They're having fun, and it's tough to blame them.
Baker and the Lady Raiders have been on quite a roll to begin the season, marching out to a perfect 6-0 start while entering the Top 25 poll for the first time since the 2005 season. This week the squad checks in at No. 19.
"It's been great," the sophomore forward said after practice on Thursday. "We have had a lot of energy in practice, and a lot of energy in the game."
That energetic play has defined this feisty team, one that is coming off of an 84-40 rout of Texas State on Wednesday night. Now, Baker and the Lady Raiders are set for perhaps their biggest showdown of the young season with No. 16 Penn State Saturday afternoon at the United Spirit Arena.
 | "We need this. It's the kind of test that we need at this point." - Kristy Curry |
"We just have great energy," sixth-year head coach Kristy Curry said. "I think our kids have been playing extremely hard. Our goal is always to be the most aggressive team and we have come out and had an aggressive mentality."
Penn State (6-1) enters Saturday's match up fresh off of a win over No. 14 North Carolina on Wednesday. The Lady Lions lead the overall series 3-2 and defeated Tech 76-68 last season in University Park, Pa.
Penn State, who was predicted to finish first in the Big Ten by the media, is led offensively by Maggie Lucas. The sophomore guard is averaging 18.7 points per game, while hitting 34 percent of her shots from behind the 3-point line. Penn State is second in the Big Ten in scoring registering 76.4 points per contest, while leading the conference in 3-point shooting, hitting 37 percent of its shots from long-range.
For Curry, it's a challenge for the Lady Raiders this early in the season, but it's a test she is excited for them to face.
"We won't see a better back court in the Big 12," Curry said after Wednesday's victory. "[Alex] Bentley and Lucas are as good as anybody in the country.
"This is going to be a great experience for us and it's what we need badly at this point."
The Lady Raiders are off to a 6-0 start for the second consecutive season, but it's clear that energy has helped the squad to take significant leaps forward from last season's team that reached the NCAA Tournament.
Wednesday night the Lady Raiders' defense swarmed Texas State, forcing 30 turnovers while holding the Bobcats to just 29 percent shooting from the floor on the night.
"We like to change up into a lot of different defenses," Baker said. "We want to be aggressive and get into them and have a lot of ball pressure. That's the key, ball pressure and being aggressive and don't be passive."
The Lady Raiders are forcing 25.3 turnovers per contest, which is five more than Curry's squad was forcing last season through six games.
Meanwhile, on offense the Lady Raiders are averaging 84.3 points per contest -up 14 points from last season through six games. Tech has twice scored 94 points this year in wins against Texas State and UMKC.
Saturday's showdown marks the first Top-20 match up in the United Spirit Arena since Nov. 25, 2005, when the No. 14 Lady Raiders fell to No. 15 Stanford 66-63.
"We need this," Curry said. "It's the kind of test that we need at this point."
