Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Set To Face The Mountaineers In Morgantown
January 08, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Ivonne CookTaylor (13.3 ppg) is Tech's leading scorer heading into Saturday's matchup with West Virginia.
Jan. 8, 2016
LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Texas Tech Lady Raiders will go for their 10th win of the season on Saturday night, taking on West Virginia in Morgantown, W.V. Tipoff at WVU Coliseum is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
The game will be carried on the Texas Tech Sports Network on 107.7 FM, and 950 AM in Lubbock with Ryan Hyatt on the call. The radio broadcast also will be available online at www.TexasTech.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
A free live stream and live stats will be available at WVUSports.com.
Texas Tech (9-5, 0-3) is looking to bring an end to a three-game losing streak by picking up its second-straight win in Morgantown, after picking up a 55-45 victory at West Virginia last season. The Lady Raiders have been sparked lately by freshman Japreece Dean, who has scored in double figures in each of the last five games.
West Virginia (13-3, 2-1), is currently riding a two-game winning streak, earning road wins at Kansas and Kansas State. A win would give the Mountaineers their first three-game Big 12 winning streak since 2014. Bria Holmes leads WVU in both points (17.3) and assists (3.6).
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.
| Follow The Lady Raiders | |
|---|---|
| Opponent | West Virginia |
| Date--Time | Jan. 8--6 p.m. CT |
| Radio | 107.7 FM or 950 AM |
| Live Stream | WVUSports.com |
| Live Stats | WVUSports.com |
| Twitter Updates | @LadyRaiderWBB |
TOP GAMEDAY STORYLINES
- Leashja Grant ranks 15th nationally in field goal percentage (58.5%).
- West Virginia is one of six teams with a 2-1 record in Big 12 play.
- Texas Tech is 9-1 this season when holding opponents under 70 points.
- Texas Tech is 9-0 when outrebounding opponents this season.
- Japreece Dean was named Big 12 Freshman Player of the Week for the third time in four weeks. (First player to do so since Iowa State's Jadda Buckley did so in 2013.
- Tech leads the all-time series, 4-3, including a regular-season sweep in 2014-15.
MARKING THE MOUNTAINEERS
West Virginia (13-3, 2-1) is looking for its first three-game win streak in Big 12 play since 2014. WVU is charged by Bria Holmes, who leads the team in points (17.3) and assists(3.6). The Mountaineers fell to Texas, 65-54, to start conference play before picking up road wins against both Kansas and Kansas State.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Tech leads the all-time series against WVU, 4-3. The Lady Raiders swept last year's regular-season series before falling 59-40 in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament to the Mountaineers. Tech is looking for its second-straight win in Morgantown.
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 9-1 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 at least 11 points per game, there have been six different leading scorers this season and five different Lady Raiders have scored 20 points in a game.
HELLO FROM THE OUTSIDE
Texas Tech has two of the conference's top three-point shooters by percentage, Ryann Bowser (.429) and Rayven Brooks (.390). The Lady Raiders have hit at least six threes in seven different games this season.
GRAB THE WINDEX
Texas Tech is 9-0 this season when outrebounding opponents. The Lady Raiders average 43.2 rebounds a game and outrebound opponents by an average of 6.5 boards per game.
SECOND CHANCE
Texas Tech is averaging 15.6 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks second in the Big 12 and 40th in the NCAA. Three Lady Raiders (Ivonne CookTaylor, Leashja Grant & Zuri Sanders) have recorded at least 30 offensive boards this season.
NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP
Rayven Brooks leads the Lady Raiders with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.8.
CAN'T HOLD US
Texas Tech is defeating opponents by an average of 11.1 points per game this season.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Even though she has only played 14 games in a Lady Raider uniform, Leashja Grant has already made a huge impact. She leads the Lady Raiders in field goal percentage (58.4%) and is one of four Lady Raiders averaging 11+ points per game. She also leads the team in rebounding (7.5 per game), as well as blocks per game (1.2).
YOUTH OF THE NATION
For the third time in four weeks, Texas Tech's Japreece Dean was named the Big 12 Women's Basketball Freshman of the Week, becoming the first Lady Raider since Dominic Seals (2008) to win the award three times in a season.
Dean is Tech's leading scorer in conference play (18.7 ppg) after scoring 22 against TCU last Wednesday and adding 21 more against No. 5 Texas last Saturday. She has hit double digits in five-straight games.
She did so while shooting 50% (18-36) from the field in the Texas and OSU games. She has now scored at least 20 points in four of her last eight contests.
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 continued a great debut month with a career-high 19 points on 8-10 shooting against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
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.
UNDER PRESSURE
Texas Tech is shooting 63.8% from the line this season, but in clutch situations, the Lady Raiders have been 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 16-22 (72.7%), nine percent better than the overall team average.
| Player | FTM-FTA | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Rayven Brooks | 7-8 | 87.5% |
| Japreece Dean | 4-6 | 66.7% |
| Ivonne CookTaylor | 2-3 | 66.7% |
| Dayo Olabode | 1-2 | 50.0% |
| Ionna McKenzie | 1-2 | 50.0% |
| Zuri Sanders | 1-1 | 100.0% |
