Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Take On Grambling State on Friday Night
December 17, 2015 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2015
LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Texas Tech Lady Raiders continue their stretch of five games in 11 days with a matchup against the Grambling State Tigers on Friday night, which is set for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff at United Supermarkets Arena.The contest between the Lady Raiders (7-2) and Tigers (2-6) will be carried on the Texas Tech Sports Network on 97.3 FM, and 950 AM in Lubbock with Ryan Hyatt and Chuck Heinz on the call. The radio broadcast also will be available online at www.TexasTech.com and the TuneIn Radio app. The game will also be streamed live on TexasTech.tv.
Texas Tech is coming off a 70-55 win over Incarnate Word, where the Lady Raiders where led by 38 combined points from Ivonne CookTaylor and Leashja Grant.
"[Grambling] is a very athletic and versatile team," Texas Tech head coach Candi Whitaker said. "They will play five guards on the floor at once, and they will play a lot of zone defense. They have battled with a lot of good teams. They have people who can create their own shots, so we will have to do a good job of guarding the ball."
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the women's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/LadyRaiderWBB and @LadyRaiderWBB on Twitter.
| Keep Up With The Lady Raiders | |
|---|---|
| Opponent | Grambling State |
| Date/Time | Dec. 18, 6:30 p.m. |
| Radio | 97.3 FM/950 AM |
| Live Stats | Live stats |
| Twitter Updates | @LadyRaiderWBB |
TOP GAMEDAY STORYLINES
- Texas Tech is looking to improve to 7-0 at home in 2015-16.
- Texas Tech ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring, having only scored less than 70 points once this season.
- This will be the fifth meeting between Tech and Grambling State. Tech leads the all-time series, 3-1, including a Lady Raider win in 2013.
- Grambling State has gotten off to a 2-6 start this season, and is led by Yosha Watson, who averages a team-leading 13.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
- Tech has four players averaging at least 10 points per game.
TALKING `BOUT THE TIGERS
Grambling State has started the season 2-6, coming off a 71-62 loss to Northwestern State. The Tigers average 61.2 points per game, and are led by Yosha Watson, whose points (13.0) and rebounds (5.1) per game averages lead the team.
MID-SEASON DEBUT
Brielle Blaire made her debut for the Lady Raiders on Dec. 12, against Santa Clara. The Virginia Tech transfer made an immediate impact, scoring 10 points, grabbing six rebounds and recording three steals. She followed that up with four points against Incarnate Word, in what was her first-career start.
NO QUARTER
Of the new rules NCAA women's basketball is transitioning to for starting with this season, the most noticeable is that the game format has moved from two halves, to four quarters, creating more exciting end-of-clock situations, among other changes.
COMING HOME
The Lady Raiders feature eight players on the current roster who began their Texas Tech career as a transfer. Five of those players are newcomers. Two of them, Brielle Blaire (Virginia Tech) and Leashja Grant (TVCC) will be eligible during the 2015-16 season, while the other three, highly touted transfers Recee' Caldwell (UCLA), Larryn Brooks (Indiana) and Jada Terry (Texas A&M) will not be eligible until the 2016-17 season.
THAT 70'S SHOW
The 70-point mark seems to be the magic number for the Lady Raiders in regards to opponent scoring. Tech is 7-0 when holding opponents under 70 points this season.
START ME UP
A big portion of Tech's success has come from early runs to start games. On four different occasions this year the Lady Raiders have started a game on a run of 6-0 or better, including a 16-0 run to start the season against Niagara.
FANTASTIC FOUR
Balanced scoring has been the name of the game for Tech this season. Four Lady Raiders are averaging double figures, there have been five different leading scorers in eight games and five different Lady Raiders have scored 20 points in a game this season.
HELLO FROM THE OUTSIDE
Texas Tech ranks third in the Big 12 in team 3-point percentage (.359), and has three of the conference's top eight three-point shooters by percentage.
GIMME SOME MORE
Texas Tech averages 8.9 steals per game, a mark that ranks fifth in the Big 12. Tech also averages 19.0 forced turnovers per contest. Ryann Bowser leads the team in steals, with 14.
SECOND CHANCE
Texas Tech is averaging 15.8 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks second in the Big 12 and 40th in the NCAA. Two Lady Raiders (Leashja Grant & Zuri Sanders) are averaging more than three offensive boards per game.
NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP
Rayven Brooks ranks 31st nationally and third in the Big 12 with an impressive 2.73 assist-to-turnover ratio.
CAN'T HOLD US
Texas Tech ranks 37th nationally in scoring margin, defeating opponents by an average of 17.3 points per game.
THAT'S SO RAYVEN
Texas Tech senior Rayven Brooks is currently second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game. Between the Idaho State game and the South Point Shootout three weeks ago, she averaged 15 points, including a career high-matching 26 points against Washington, on just 12 shots. She was named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Even though she has only played nine games in a Lady Raider uniform, Leashja Grant has already made a huge impact. She has two double-doubles as a Lady Raider, and is averaging 11.0 points per game to go along with a team-leading 7.9 rebounds per game.
She followed up her performance against Niagara with 13 points and 12 boards against Southeastern Louisiana. She registered double-digit rebounds for the third-straight game (11) in Tech's win over Idaho State, where she also had seven points. She grabbed 10 more rebounds in Tech's win over Idaho. She returned to her early-season form against Incarnate Word, scoring 18 points on 7-10 shooting.
YOUTH OF THE NATION
Even with the veterans Tech has on the roster, youth will be served for the Lady Raiders as freshmen Japreece Dean and Zuri Sanders figure to play significant roles. Sanders and Dean are combining to average 14.5 points and 19.6 rebounds per game this season.
UNDER PRESSURE
Texas Tech is shooting 60.8% from the line this season, but in clutch situations, the Lady Raiders have been far better than their average would suggest. In clutch situations (when the scoring margin is under 10 points, with less than three minutes to go), Tech is shooting 11-15 (70.5%), 10% better than the overall team average.
