Lady Raiders Head West
December 23, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 23, 2003
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#3/3 Texas Tech Lady Raiders (11-0)
vs.
Maryland (7-2)
December 28, 2003 * San Diego, Calif. * 10 p.m. CST
Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100)
Sunday's Game
No. 3/3 Texas Tech travels to San Diego, Calif., for the Surf 'N Slam San Diego Hoop Classic. The Lady Raiders will take on Maryland Friday, Dec. 28 at 10 p.m. CST. San Diego and Georgetown will square off in the first game at 8 p.m. CST. The consolation game is slated for 8 p.m. CST on Dec. 30 followed by the championship game at 10 p.m. CST. The game can be heard on the All Sports Radio Network as Ryan Hyatt calls the game.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 11-0 after beating No. 7/7 Stanford, 55-46, last Sunday. On the year, senior Jia Perkins leads the team in scoring with a 17.1 average followed by freshman Alesha Robertson at 10.4. Senior Casey Jackson is the top rebounder, grabbing 7.8 boards per outing. Sophomore Jametra Clark is shooting 51.4 percent from the field, while Perkins is shooting 51 percent. Robertson is shooting 42.9 percent from the three-point arc. Sophomore Erin Grant has a team-high 70 assists, while Perkins leads the team in steals with 26. Junior Cisti Greenwalt is the top shot blocker with 20 blocks. The Lady Raiders are shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 31.2 percent from three-point range and 72.8 percent from the free throw line.
Scouting the Opponent
Maryland enters the game with a 7-2 record after beating the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, 72-38, last Saturday. In that game, freshman C'Vette Henson scored a game-high 12 points, while freshmen Shay Doron, Kalika France and Aurelie Noirez each added 10 points. Sophomore Chrissy Fisher grabbed five rebounds and junior Anesia Smith tallied nine assists. On the year, Doron paces the Terrapins in scoring with a 14.0 average followed by France at 10.6 and Noirez at 10.0. Senior Crystal Washington in the top rebounder as she is averaging 5.7 boards per contest. Junior Alli Spence has a team-high 44 assists, while France leads the team in steals with 16. Washington is the top shot blocker with 14 blocks. Maryland is shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 44.6 percent from three-point range and 72.9 percent from the charity stripe. Brenda Frese is in her second year at the helm of the Terps establishing a record of 17-20. She is also in her fifth year as a head coach with a career record of 74-50.
Series Record
It is the first meeting between Texas Tech and Maryland.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech concludes 2003 by playing in the Surf 'N Slam San Diego Hoop Classic Dec. 28, 30. The Lady Raiders will play Maryland Dec. 28 at 10 p.m. CST., while San Diego and Georgetown tip-off at 8 p.m. CST. On Dec. 30, the consolation game will be at 8 p.m. with the championship game slated for 10 p.m. central time. The Lady Raiders return home for a game with Pepperdine Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. Tech will open Big 12 Conference play Jan. 10 by hosting Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. That game will be televised on the Red Raider Sports Network.
Lady Raider Head Coach Marsha Sharp
One of the most respected and well-known coaches in Texas Tech history, Hall of Fame head coach Marsha Sharp is 519-159 in her 22nd year at the helm of the Lady Raiders. She has led the Lady Raiders to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 14 consecutive, and 10 NCAA Sweet 16 and four 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. In May 2003, she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
NCAA Stats
As of games through Dec. 15, Texas Tech ranks first in scoring defense at 45.9, first in field goal percentage defense at 29.7, first in won-lost percentage at 100.0, third in scoring margin at 32.9, fourth in turnovers per game at 12.8, sixth in rebound margin at 13.6, 13th in blocked shots per game at 5.6, 14th in assists per game at 19.4 and 19th in scoring offense at 78.8, among all NCAA Division I teams. Sophomore Erin Grant ranks 15th in assists per game at 6.6 among all NCAA Division I players.
Best Start in School History
Texas Tech is 11-0 and off to its best start in school history. The Lady Raiders went 10-0 in 1999-2000 before falling at Iowa State, 62-37, Jan. 2, 2000.
Tech vs. the Top 25
Texas Tech is 4-0 this year against teams ranked in the top 25. The Lady Raiders beat No. 18/18 UC Santa Barbara, No. 15/15 Rutgers, No. 24 Washington and No. 7/7 Stanford.
Robertson Big 12 Rookie of the Week
Freshman Alesha Robertson was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week Dec. 22. Robertson averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds the week of Dec. 15-21 in helping Texas Tech to wins over two top 25 teams, at No. 24 Washington and at home vs. No. 7 Stanford.
First Start and Career Day for Robertson
Freshman Alesha Robertson made her first collegiate start against Stanford and recorded career highs of 18 points, six rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes of play.
Clark a Spark
Sophomore Jametra Clark came off the bench to score 11 points, second-highest on the team behind freshman Alesha Robertson's 18, in the win over Stanford. It was the fourth time this season she has scored in double figures.
Fifth Largest Crowd
Texas Tech had 14,674 fans in attendance at the Stanford game which was the fifth largest home crowd in school history.
First to 10
Texas Tech was the first top 25 team to claim 10 victories in 2003. The Lady Raiders are 10-0. Big 12 foe Texas (10-1) claimed its 10th victory a day later against Georgia.
Jackson, Greenwalt Record Get Double-Double at Washington
Senior Casey Jackson and junior Cisti Greenwalt both finished with double-doubles at Washington, which was the first time this season Texas Tech has had two players record double-doubles in the same game. Jackson had 10 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, while Greenwalt had season highs of 15 points and 11 boards. It was the third double-double for Jackson this season and the first for Greenwalt.
100 Points
Texas Tech scored a 100 points in its win over Pacific, which marked the first time the Lady Raiders had scored 100 points since beating Penn, 100-57, March 16, 2001 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Lubbock.
Dabbs Has Career Game
Sophomore Chesley Dabbs recorded career highs of 18 points, six rebounds and five assists against Pacific. Dabbs came off the bench to play 21 minutes.
Bench Does It Again
In back-to-back games, Texas Tech's bench combined for 50 or more points. In the win over Wyoming the subs combined for 50 points as four of the six players scored in double figures led by sophomore LaToya Davis' game-high 14 points. Junior Cisti Greenwalt and freshman Alesha Robertson each added 11, while sophomore Chesley Dabbs chipped in 10. Greenwalt also finished with game highs of eight rebounds and six blocks - both season highs for her. In the victory against Pacific, they combined for 58 points led by a career-high 18 points by Dabbs. Also scoring in double figures were Robertson with 11, while Greenwalt and sophomore Jametra Clark each added 10.
Grant, Baughman Dish Out
Sophomore Erin Grant dished out a season-high 13 assists against Pacific, while freshman Brooke Baughman collected a career-high seven assists.
Season-High from the Field
The Lady Raiders shot a season-high 52 percent from the field against Pacific. Tech connected on 39-of-75 shot attempts on the night.
Greenwalt, Ritchie Move Up the Charts
Junior Cisti Greenwalt is now third in career blocks with 158. Standing in second is Carolyn Thompson (1980-84) with 174 career blocks. Senior Natalie Ritchie moved to fourth on Tech's all-time list for three-point field goals made with 166. Former standout and current Tech assistant Krista (Kirkland) Gerlich (1989-93) is in third with 220.
Tech Ties Fewest Points Allowed
Texas Tech held Wyoming to 26 points Dec. 6, which tied the school record for fewest points scored by an opponent. McMurry had scored 26 points on Feb. 24, 1978.
Perkins Passes Swoopes
Senior Jia Perkins passed Sheryl Swoopes (1991-93) on Tech's all-time scoring list. Perkins currently stands fourth on the list with 1,692 career points. Swoopes had 1,645 during her time as a Lady Raider. Standing in third is Michi Atkins (1992-96) with 2,134 points. Carolyn Thompson (1980-84) holds the school record for most career points with 2,655, while Alicia Thompson (1994-98) is second with 2,156.
Deja Vu
The Lady Raiders shot 51.7 percent from the field in back-to-back games. Tech was 31-of-60 from the field against California and Wyoming.
Senior Leadership
Texas Tech held on to claim a seven-point victory over California and a big reason was the play of three seniors. Jia Perkins, Casey Jackson and Natalie Ritchie combined to score 60 of Tech's 76 points. They connected on 25 of their combined 37 shot attempts for a 68 percent shooting percentage from the field. Perkins scored a season-high 29 points in the game.
Perkins, Robertson Named to All-Tournament Team
Senior Jia Perkins received her second-consecutive MVP tournament honors as she was selected the MVP of the SMU Hoops for the Cure Tournament. Freshman Alesha Robertson was also named to the all-tournament team.
Tech Holds SMU to Record-Low Shooting Percentage
Texas Tech held SMU to just 16.9 percent from the field, which set a school record for lowest shooting percentage by an opponent. The Mustangs hit just 11 of 65 shot attempts in the game. The previous school record was 17.6 percent (12-of-68) by Southwest Texas State on Jan. 1, 1993.
Perkins, Jackson Named to All-Tournament Team
Senior Jia Perkins was named the MVP of the Preseason WNIT tournament as she averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the four games. Senior Casey Jackson was also named to the all-tournament team.
Perkins Moves Up the Charts
Senior Jia Perkins moved into the top four on Tech's all-time field goal attempts list and into the top five in field goals made. She ranks fourth with 1,568 attempts and fifth with 683 made. She cracked the top 10 in free throws made with 257.
Johnson, Flowers to Redshirt
Freshman Enrica Johnson had meniscus repair done to her right knee on Dec. 17 and will redshirt this season. She joins freshman Tawanna Flowers who is redshirting after suffering a navicular fracture in her right foot during her senior season and is currently rehabbing the injury.
On the Tube
The Lady Raiders will make six national or regional television appearances in regular-season play this season. Texas Tech will appear on ESPN2 once and Fox Sports Net four times. On Fox Sports Net, Tech played Stanford (Dec. 21) and will play Baylor (Jan. 17), at Texas (Feb. 1) and at Baylor (Feb. 8). Tech played at Washington (Dec. 19) on Fox Sports Northwest/Southwest. On Feb. 22, the Lady Raiders will play Texas on ESPN2. Tech will also have 11 games broadcasted on the local Red Raider Sports Network.
Perkins, Grant Among the Best at Their Positions
Senior Jia Perkins was named one of the top five off-guards in the country by ESPN.com, while sophomore Erin Grant was selected as one of the top five point guards. Joining Perkins on the list were Alana Beard (Duke), Kelly Mazzante (Penn State), Diana Taurasi (Connecticut) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota). Along with Grant, Jamie Carey (Texas), Temeka Johnson (LSU), Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers) and Erika Valek (Purdue) made up the top five selections.
Lady Raiders in the Polls
Since January 20, 1992, the Lady Raiders have been ranked in the Top 25 in the Associated Press and/or the USA Today poll a total of 219 weeks. That includes the Dec. 22 polls in which Tech is ranked third in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA top 25 and third in the AP poll.
