Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
16-0,3-0Big 12
Arizona
9-5,0-3Big 12
No. 21 Lady Raiders earn best start in program history
January 03, 2026 | Women's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – Five players were in double-figures as the No. 21 Texas Tech Lady Raiders dominated the Arizona Wildcats, 80-49, on Saturday night at the United Supermarkets Arena. This win brought Texas Tech to 16-0 and 3-0 in Big 12 play, making it the best start to a season in program history. The 31-point win is also the best regular-season conference victory since the 87-41 defeat of Colorado on Jan. 15, 2005.
Against Arizona (9-5, 0-3 Big 12), Denae Fritz led the way with a season-best of 16 points on 60 percent shooting from the field (6-for-10) as well as 66.6 percent from behind the arc (4-for-6), tying for the team-lead in threes. Fritz added a team-high of three steals, her second-straight game with three, and also totaled five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Adlee Blacklock had herself a season-high of 15 points on 80 percent shooting from the field, all of her buckets coming from the three-point line as she tied for the team-lead in triples with Fritz. Blacklock was 3-for-3 on free throws and had a steal and an assist against the Wildcats. Jada Malone recorded her sixth double-figure game this year with 14 points after going 83.3 percent from the field with three rebounds. Bailey Maupin scored 13 points, making three 3-pointers, while adding five assists and four rebounds in the game.
Snudda Collins tallied her 14th double-digit scoring game with 11 points and posted a career-best of three blocks. Gemma Núñez once again led the Lady Raiders in assists and rebounds, posting her second-straight game with eight assists and no turnovers as well as adding eight rebounds, three coming on the offensive side. Jalynn Bristow led the team with four blocks while adding five boards and seven points on the night. Â
As a team, the Lady Raiders shot 47.5 percent from the field (28-for-59) and 41.9 percent from behind the arc (13-for-31). The Scarlet and Black posted its third game this year with 20+ assists, totaling a season-best of 22. They also added a season-high of 11 blocks, the most in a game since 12 against Georgia on Dec. 2, 2021. Texas Tech held the Wildcats to 35 percent shooting from the field (21-for-60) and 25 percent from three (3-for-12), while also holding them to 27.6 points below their season average.
Maupin got the Lady Raiders started early with a 3-pointer on the team's first possession of the game. Arizona took a 4-3 lead before Maupin made another three in the same spot as before. Malone followed with the next four points as Tech led 10-4. The Wildcats stopped the run with four points, but Maupin answered once more with yet another triple from the same area on the court. Malone got another layup, but Arizona responded with the next three points. Bristow stopped their momentum with a jumper from the free throw line, then Fritz joined in on the fun behind the arc with a 3-pointer and gave Tech a 22-11 lead going into the next period.
Arizona started the scoring in the second with a layup, but Tech answered with back-to-back triples from Bristow and Blacklock. Sarengbe Sanogo scored four of the next six points in the game before Arizona went on a 4-0 run. The Lady Raiders responded with four-straight points on second-chance layups by Bristow and Fritz for the 36-19 advantage going into the media timeout. Arizona scored five-consecutive points to make it 38-25. But, Tech got a three from Fritz to stop their momentum and spark an 11-0 run to end the quarter for the Lady Raiders, highlighted by six points from Blacklock on a triple and three free throws, to give Tech a 49-25 advantage after two.
Tech was forced to take a timeout in the third quarter after being held scoreless for almost three minutes, while Arizona scored four points during that frame. Out of the timeout, Collins and Maupin scored layups. Collins then recorded back-to-back blocks on the following Arizona possession, before stealing the ball which led to her making a second-chance layup for the 55-29 advantage. The run continued for Tech when Malone added a jumper and Collins made a three. The Lady Raiders followed by scoring six of the next eight points before both teams closed the quarter with a scoring drought of a minute and a half.
Arizona made a three to begin the final quarter before Fritz answered with one of her own right after. The Wildcats scored a layup up next, but Blacklock nailed her third triple of the game to keep the lead. Both teams traded points until the media timeout as Tech led by a score of 74-42. It took over two minutes for a team to score, but Blacklock hit her fourth three of the game with 3:11 left. Arizona went on a 7-0 run, but Fritz made one more triple to seal the deal with 50 seconds left as Tech would win, 80-49.
Up next, the Lady Raiders head to Morgantown, W.Va., for a game against the Mountaineers on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 6 p.m. CT.
