Texas Tech University Athletics
GAME PREVIEW: No. 13 Texas Tech at Missouri
January 07, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2012
Who: No. 13/17 Texas Tech Lady Raiders (13-0, 1-0) at Missouri Tigers (10-2, 8-1)
When: 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012
Where: Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, Mo.
Radio: Texas Tech Sports Network 97.3 FM (Lubbock)
Play-by-play: Steve Strain
TEXAS TECH - MISSOURI SERIES
Texas Tech leads the all-time series against Missouri, 12-6 but has not won in Columbia since 2004. The Lady Raiders are 2-5 in Columbia. The two teams have traded home wins over the past seven seasons. Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry is looking for her first win in Columbia, losing games in 2008 and 2010. This will be just the second meeting between Curry and Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton. Texas Tech won the meeting in Lubbock last year, 63-56, overcoming a 14-point deficit as Chynna Brown led the Lady Raiders with 22 points off the bench.
REMEMBERING THE 4
This past fall, The Big 12 Conference and the women's basketball community lost two tremendous ambassadors of the game in Oklahoma State Head Coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna. They were killed in a plane crash on Nov.17 alongside OSU alumni Olin and Paula Branstetter while returning to Stillwater from a recruiting trip in Arkansas.
Texas Tech Athletics pays tribute to the memory of Coach Budke and Coach Serna and offer our condolences to our friends and colleagues at Oklahoma State University. Players, coaches and staff members will wear the 4 logo on their jerseys and shirts throughout the season.
Guns Up and Ride With Pride.
TEXAS TECH LADY RAIDERS (13-0, 1-0)
NO. NAME HT P YR STATS
23 Monique Smalls 5-6 G JR 7.9 pts/game
15 Casey Morris 5-9 G JR 10.0 pts/game
5 Christine Hyde 5-10 G JR 8.3 pts/game
41 Kelsi Baker 6-0 F SO 7.8 pts/game
20 Kierra Mallard 6-3 F SR 14.2 pts/game
MISSOURI TIGERS (10-2, 0-1)
NO. NAME HT P YR STATS
32 Liene Preide 5-10 G JR 8.7 pts/game
21 Sidney Crafton 5-10 G JR 5.6 pts/game
15 Kylie Simmons 5-7 G FR 3.5 pts/game
50 Christine Flores 6-3 F SR 20.9 pts/game
22 BreAnna Brock 6-2 F SR 15.9 pts/game
STARTS THIS SEASON: Monique Smalls (13), Christine Hyde (13), Casey Morris (13), Kierra Mallard (13), Kelsi Baker (11), Shauntal Nobles (2).
LAST TIME OUT
TEXAS TECH 58, OKLAHOMA STATE 53
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Kierra Mallard had 19 points and 11 rebounds to help Texas Tech (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today, No. 13 AP) remain undefeated with a 58-53 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday night in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
Mallard grabbed a crucial offensive rebound after a pair of missed free throws with Texas Tech leading by only three with 11 seconds to play.
Casey Morris made two free throws seconds later to seal the win.
Oklahoma State (8-2, 0-1 Big 12) trailed by eight points early in the second half, but the Cowgirls held Texas Tech (13-0, 1-0) to one basket over the next 8 minutes for a 39-34 lead.
Texas Tech took the lead for good with 3:30 to play on a 3-pointer by Mary Bokenkamp. Oklahoma State pulled within a point with 15 seconds left before a pair of free throws by Monique Smalls gave the Lady Raiders their three-point lead.
COACHING WINS
Kristy Curry won her 100th game at Texas Tech with a 58-57 win over San Diego on Dec. 30. She is second in all-time coaching wins at Texas Tech only to Hall of Fame coach Marsha Sharp. Here is how the all-time wins at Texas Tech break down by each head coach and era:
YEARS COACH RECORD
2006-now Kristy Curry 101-73
1982-2006 Marsha Sharp 572-175
1980-1982 Donna Wick 30-29
1977-1980 Gay Benson 73-47
1975-77 Susie Lynch 33-35
809-373
WIN, WIN, WIN
Texas Tech extended its winning streak to 13 games with a 58-53 win over Oklahoma State. The Lady Raiders are just one of two Big 12 Conference teams (Baylor) who are still undefeated and one of six teams nationally who are undefeated (Baylor, Colorado, Green Bay, Maryland, Ohio State).
MALLARD CLIMBS BLOCK RECORD BOOK
Senior forward Kierra Mallard has 12 blocks in her last three games to bring her career total to 188. She is now third all-time at Texas Tech behind Crystal Boles (191) and Cisti Greenwalt (300). She had a season-high five blocks in Texas Tech's 58-53 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior forward Kierra Mallard tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds in Texas Tech's 58-53 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday for her fifth double-double of the season and 21st of her career. Mallard leads all Tech players with five double-doubles this season. She leads all Tech players in points per game (14.2), rebounds per game (9.5), and blocks per game (2.6).
ALL-TOURNAMENT
Shauntal Nobles and junior guard Chynna Brown were named to the Surf n' Slam Classic All-Tournament Team while senior forward Kierra Mallard was named Tournament MVP. Both Nobles and Brown came off the bench and did not start either game. Nobles had 22 points and 12 rebounds in the two games including a career-high 14 against CSU Bakersfield. Brown led Tech with 14 on Friday night and had seven rebounds in the two games. Mallard totaled 26 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks over the weekend.
IN ATTENDANCE
The Texas Tech - Penn State game on Dec. 3 was the 11th-highest attended game this season for all NCAA Division I women's basketball games with 8,932 in attendance for the 70-66 win.
IN THE RANKS
Texas Tech matched its highest Associated Press Poll and USA Today/Coaches Poll rankings in six years with a No. 13 ranking in The AP Poll and No. 17 in the Coaches Poll. Tech has been ranked for seven consecutive weeks now in The AP Poll.
RECORD NIGHT
Junior guard Casey Morris scored a career-high 24 points and had a career-high six 3-pointers to lead Texas Tech on Dec. 21. Morris beat her previous high of 23 points in last season's loss against Texas A&M on Feb. 5, She hit five 3-pointers twice last season at home against Sam Houston State (Nov. 28, 2010) and Oklahoma State (Feb. 26). She's set five career-highs this season for points, 3-pointers, rebounds, assists and steals.
800 AND COUNTING
Texas Tech won its 800th game on Nov. 26, 2011 with a 76-43 win over Central Arkansas. With the win, Tech became only the 15th NCAA women's basketball program to win at least 800 games in program history.
All-Time Winningest Programs (By Wins, Updated Jan. 2)
Rank Team First Season Wins Losses
1. Tennessee 1903 1,173 259
2. Louisiana Tech 1975 1,007 220
3. Old Dominion 1970 932 335
4. James Madison 1921 914 493
5. Stephen F. Austin 1969 914 378
6. Texas 1977 877 297
7. Ohio St. 1966 875 363
8. Tennessee Tech 1971 841 425
9. Stanford 1977 842 276
10. Georgia 1974 822 346
11. Penn St 1965 816 376
12. Kansas St 1969 812 481
13. Connecticut 1983 808 181
13. Texas Tech 1975 808 373
13. Long Beach St 1964 808 461
16. Auburn 1972 804 367
17. Green Bay 801 305
BEST START
Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry is 12-0 for the first time in her 13 years as a head coach. Tech is off to its best start since the 2003-04 season when the Lady Raiders got off to a 15-0 start.
RECORD NIGHT
Texas Tech shot a season-best 53.3 percent from the field (24 of 45) and had eight or more 3-pointers for the fourth time this season (8 at Houston, 9 vs. Penn State, 10 vs. Texas-Arlington).
DEFENSE HOLDS DOWN WKU
Texas Tech held Western Kentucky to just 22 percent shooting on the floor (13 of 59) - the lowest field goal percentage by a Tech opponent this season. The 13 field goals ties an opponent low for 2011 (Central Arkansas). The 38 points scored are also the lowest by a Tech opponent.
NATIONAL LEADER
Texas Tech junior point guard Monique Smalls had a career-high 11 assists on Dec. 7 against UTA. She also did not have a turnover for the third-consecutive game. Smalls is currently leading the country with a 3.86-to-1 assist to turnover ratio, totaling 50 assists and only nine turnovers.
SWIPING CLEAN
Texas Tech leads the Big 12 Conference and is No. 7 nationally with 14.8 steals per game this season. The Lady Raiders have 18 or more steals against four opponents this season (UTA, Texas State, UMKC and New Mexico).
SCORING BIG
Texas Tech is third in the Big 12 Conference in scoring margin (25.6) and 10th overall in the country. The Lady Raiders are also second in conference in scoring with 79 points per game - 11th nationally.
