Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Host Annual Play 4 Kay Pink Game On Saturday
February 11, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2016
LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Texas Tech Lady Raiders will take on No. 4 Baylor on Saturday at 2 p.m., in the annual Play 4 Kay Pink game.
Pink out the USA this Saturday @ 2pm! Details about Lady Raiders Play 4 Kay pink game here: https://t.co/4WazxACtub pic.twitter.com/vvaFrsPeDZ
-- Lady Raider WBB (@LadyRaiderWBB) February 11, 2016
The game will be carried on the Texas Tech Sports Network on 107.7 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. There will also be a live stream available on texastech.tv.
The game's purpose is to bring awareness each season to breast cancer and raise money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
The Kay Yow Fund was started in honor of former N.C. State head coach Kay Yow who passed away in 2009 after a 22-year bout with breast cancer. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund has raised millions of dollars in support of women's breast cancer research.
As has become Tech tradition, the Lady Raiders will honor survivors in a variety of ways.
Each starter will be introduced at midcourt with a survivor, and the Lady Raiders will wear a new set of pink uniforms on Saturday designed by Under Armour specifically for Texas Tech and the Play 4 Kay game. This will be the sixth consecutive season Tech has worn a special uniform in its Play 4 Kay game. The Lady Raiders have a 3-2 record when wearing the pink colors - including a 56-45 upset over No. 1 Baylor in 2011. These are just two of the ways survivors will be honored on Saturday.
"We are really proud to be able to partner with Play 4 Kay for this game," head coach Candi Whitaker said. "I think Texas Tech has been a great example for other schools in how we represent Play 4 Kay and our commitment to that organization. I love that our community as well as student-athletes from a variety of sports get involved with the pink treadmill walk to raise money and awareness. This touches all of our lives, and I think women's basketball has really united behind this cause."
SPECIAL PINK GAME PROMOTIONS
- Tickets on game day only cost $4 if you wear pink, or fans can also visit TexasTech.com and enter promo code PINK.
- The Lady Raiders will be honoring breast cancer survivors on the court pregame, and anyone from the general public who is a survivor and is interested in being recognized can contact Emily Carlson at emily.carlson@ttu.edu or 806.834.1255.
- Tech will be Giving away 1,000 pink t-shirts, pom poms, and glow sticks on the concourse.
- The High Riders will be doing a streamer drop pregame to honor those who have been affected by breast cancer.
- General Mills and United Supermarkets will be donating $15,000 to the Kay Yow Fund and the Marsha Sharp Leadership Circle. Coach Sharp will be accepting the checks.
- Saturday will also feature the final Run N' Gun of the season, following the Senior Day presentations. The Lady Raiders are giving away 2 iPad minis, a Kitchen Aid Mixer, a Keurig, an iRobot Roomba Vacuum and a NutriBullet.
- Various Texas Tech athletes and Lady Raider fans will also take part in the annual Pink Treadmill Party, walking on the Lady Raiders' pink treadmill in honor of breast cancer survivors while encouraging donations to the Kay Yow Fund.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the women's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/LadyRaiderWBB and @LadyRaiderWBB on Twitter.
| Follow The Lady Raiders | |
|---|---|
| Opponent | No. 4 Baylor |
| Date--Time | Feb. 13--2 p.m. |
| Radio | 107.7 FM or 950 AM |
| Live Stream ($) | Texas Tech TV |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Twitter Updates | @LadyRaiderWBB |
TOP GAMEDAY STORYLINES
- Saturday's game is Texas Tech's annual Play 4 Kay Pink Game, raising awareness for breast cancer, and raising money for the Kay Yow Fund.
- Japreece Dean leads Big 12 freshmen in points, assists & Assist/TO ratio in Big 12 play.
- Japreece Dean was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the fifth time on Monday.
- Ryann Bowser is the Big 12's leader in 3-point shooting percentage (.433).
- Paige Parliament, Ryann Bowser, Jamie Roe and Rayven Brooks will be honored as part of Texas Tech's Senior Day celebration.
BREAKING DOWN THE BEARS
No. 4 Baylor enters Saturday's contest at 24-1, with its only loss coming at Oklahoma State, a game in which Baylor was missing Niya Johnson, who averages an NCAA-leading 9.5 assists per game. The Lady Bears lead the Big 12 in field goal percentage, free throws attempted and free throws made. Nina Davis averages 14.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game to lead the Lady Bears.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Texas Tech leads the all-time series with Baylor, 47-35, but has lost 20 of the last 21 contests with the Lady Bears, save a 56-45 Tech victory over No. 1 Baylor on Feb. 19, 2011.
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Lady Raiders hung with Baylor for three quarters in Waco, before falling 69-43, on Jan. 27. Japreece Dean led the Lady Raiders with 17 points, hitting 6-6 free throws.
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 nine points per game, there have been six different leading scorers this season and five different Lady Raiders have scored 20 points in a game.
FEELING CHARITABLE
Texas Tech is 4-0 this season when making 15 or more free throws, and 7-1 when making more free throws than its opponent.
YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND
Freshman Japreece Dean leads all Big 12 freshmen in assists per game (3.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2).
GRAB THE WINDEX
Texas Tech is 9-2 this season when outrebounding opponents. The Lady Raiders average 39.7 rebounds a game and outrebound opponents by an average of 1.5 boards per game.
SECOND CHANCE
Texas Tech is averaging 14.7 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 45 offensive boards this season and nine Lady Raiders have at least 10.
HELLO FROM THE OUTSIDE
Ryann Bowser (.433) leads the Big 12 in three-point percentage. If she had enough attempts to qualify, she would rank 12th nationally.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Even though this is just her first season in a Lady Raider uniform, Leashja Grant has already made a huge impact. She leads the Lady Raiders in field goal percentage (52.7%) and is one of four Lady Raiders averaging at least nine points per game. She also leads the team in rebounding (6.8 per game), as well as blocks per game (1.1).
Congrats to @Japreece24, now the ?-time @big12conference Freshman Of The Week! https://t.co/4ChUYWnh1w #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/g6KLvf6T3y
-- Lady Raider WBB (@LadyRaiderWBB) February 8, 2016
YOUTH OF THE NATION
For the fifth time this season, Lady Raider freshman point guard Japreece Dean has been named the Big 12 Women's Basketball Freshman of the Week by a media panel that covers the conference.
Dean is the first Lady Raider in Big 12 history to win this award five times--no Lady Raider has won it more than three times.
Dean averaged 13.5 points last week and took over the top spot as the Big 12's leading freshman scorer in conference-only games with a 13.8 average. She had 16 points versus West Virginia and tacked on 11 more at No. 25 Oklahoma State, going 2-5 from long range in both contests.
Dean is the leading candidate to be named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, as she leads Big 12 freshmen in points, assists and assist-to-turnover ratio in conference play, while ranking second in free throw percentage. She also has more Big 12 weekly awards this season than any other freshman in the conference.
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 64.4% 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 26-32 (81.3%), 17 percent better than the overall team average, including going 10-10 combined against Iowa State and Kansas.
| Player | FTM-FTA | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Japreece Dean | 10-12 | 83.3% |
| Rayven Brooks | 7-8 | 87.5% |
| Dayo Olabode | 3-4 | 75.0% |
| Ivonne CookTaylor | 2-3 | 66.7% |
| Leashja Grant | 2-2 | 100.0% |
| Ionna McKenzie | 1-2 | 50.0% |
| Zuri Sanders | 1-1 | 100.0% |
