Lady Raiders Prepare For Triple Crown Classic
December 27, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 27, 2001
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#13/13 Texas Tech Lady Raiders (7-2) vs.
#3/3 Vanderbilt Commodores (11-1)
December 29, 2001 - Lubbock, Texas - Noon - KJTV34 Locally
United Spirit Arena (15,050)
Saturday's Game
No. 13/13 Texas Tech will take on No. 3/3 Vanderbilt Saturday, Dec. 29 in the first game of the Triple Crown Classic with tip-off at Noon. The game is on syndicated television and will be shown locally on KJTV34. It is the fifth meeting between the two schools. No. 15/18 Colorado will face No. 21/22 LSU in the second game at 2:30 p.m.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 7-2 on the year after beating Rutgers, 62-49, Dec. 21. The Lady Raiders are led in scoring by sophomore Jia Perkins at 16.2 points a game and sophomore Natalie Ritchie at 11.3. Senior Amber Tarr is averaging 8.2 points. Freshman Cisti Greenwalt is averaging 8.3 rebounds per outing, while Perkins is averaging 6.2 boards. Perkins has team highs of 36 assists and 25 steals. Greenwalt is the top shot blocker with 25 blocks followed by sophomore Jolee Ayers with 10. Senior Tanisha Ellison is shooting 55.9 percent from the field and Brown is shooting 44.4 percent. Ritchie is shooting 39.3 percent from three-point range. On the year, the Lady Raiders are shooting 40.6 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from the three-point arc and 62.4 percent from the free throw line.
Scouting the Opponent
Vanderbilt enters the game with an 11-1 record after winning at Vermont, 75-54, Dec. 22. In that game, junior Chantelle Anderson scored a game-high 16 points followed by senior Zuzi Klimesova with 14, freshman Abi Ramsey with 12 and senior Jillian Danker with 11. Klimesova also grabbed 13 rebounds and added four steals. Junior Ashley McElhiney dished out eight assists.
On the year, Anderson paces the Commodores in scoring with a 20.0 average, while Klimesova is averaging 15.8 points and McElhiney at 10.7. Klimesova is the top rebounder with 6.9 boards a game. Anderson is the top shot blocker on the year with 17 blocks. McElhiney has a team-high 72 assists, while Klimesova leads the team in steals with 20. Vanderbilt is shooting 56.7 percent from the field, 45.2 percent from three-point range and 78.8 percent from the free throw line.
Jim Foster is in his 11th year at the helm of the Commodores, establishing a record of 237-93. He is also in his 24th year as a head coach with a career record of 485-219.
Series Record
It is the fifth meeting between Texas Tech and Vanderbilt with the Lady Raiders holding a 4-0 advantage. In their last meeting, Tech defeated Vanderbilt, 86-81, Nov. 20, 1994 in Lubbock.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech will open Big 12 Conference play on Jan. 2 against Kansas in Lubbock. Tech will then host Oklahoma Jan. 5 before hitting the road for two games at Missouri Jan. 9 and at Texas Jan. 13.
Lady Raider Head Coach Marsha Sharp
One of the most respected and well-known coaches in Texas Tech history, head coach Marsha Sharp is 466-143 in her 20th year at the helm of the Lady Raiders. Entering the 2001-02 season, Sharp was the seventh active winningest coach among Division I coaches. She has led the Lady Raiders to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 12 consecutive, and eight NCAA Sweet 16 and three Elite Eight appearances and the NCAA National Championship in 1993. Sharp led the Lady Raiders to three-straight Big 12 Conference regular-season titles (1998-2000) and two tournament crowns (1998, 1999). While in the SWC, coach Sharp and the Lady Raiders never finished below third, they won or shared the last five championships, and they captured three Post-Season Classic titles.
A 1974 graduate of Wayland Baptist University, Sharp was named the National Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1994. She also reaped SWC Coach of the Year honors seven times, five consecutively.
Last Time Out
(AP) - Jia Perkins scored 19 points and Amber Tarr added 11 as No. 12 Texas Tech beat Rutgers 62-49 Friday night (Dec. 21), extending its winning streak to five games.
The Lady Raiders (7-2) pulled away with a 13-0 early in the second half, with Natalie Ritchie hitting a 3-pointer to give Texas Tech the lead with 15:30 to play.
Davalyn Cunningham led Rutgers (4-6) with 20 points, and Dawn McCullouch added 13 points and 13 rebounds. Rutgers has lost four straight.
NCAA Stats
As of games through Dec. 17, sophomore Natalie Ritchie ranks 26th in free throw percentage at 90 percent, among all NCAA Division I players. Ritchie also ranks 30th in three-point field goals made per game at 2.86 and 32nd in three-point field goal percentage at 45.45. As a team, Texas Tech ranks eighth in field goal percentage defense at 34.13.