Texas Tech Athletics
Wyoming
Lady Raiders Lasso Cowgirls 77-26.
December 06, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Dec 6, 2003
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Texas Tech coach Marsha Sharp has stressed balance this season, and the Lady Raiders responded against Wyoming.
LaToya Davis scored 14 points and five Texas Tech players scored in double figures as the No. 5 Lady Raiders won their eighth straight games, 77-26 over Wyoming on Saturday.
Texas Tech matched a school record for fewest points allowed, shot 52 percent from the field and got 50 points from its reserves.
"That's the kind of balance we're working for," Sharp said. "I was really proud of the way players came off the bench and contributed."
Tech (8-0) held Wyoming (0-4) without a field goal for the first nine minutes of the second half, and limited the Cowgirls to 10 points in the second period, two more than the NCAA record for fewest points in a half.
It was the fewest points allowed by Tech since an 84-26 win over McMurry in 1978.
Jia Perkins scored 12 points and moved past Sheryl Swoopes into fourth place on the school's career scoring list with 1,649 points.
"I think that says something about just how important Jia has been to this program," Sharp said.
Cisti Greenwalt and Alesha Robertson added 11 points for Tech, and Chesley Dabbs finished with 10.
"I was just trying to come in and give us a spark off the bench," said Dabbs, who shot 5-of-5 from the field. "I just tried to shoot it like I shoot it in practice, and they were going in."
Texas Tech scored the first nine points of the second half, turning a 33-16 halftime lead into a 42-16 advantage. The Lady Raiders completed the lopsided victory by scoring the final 18 points.
Two free throws by Perkins gave Tech a 30-9 lead with 2:45 left in the opening half. Perkins' points capped a 10-2 run.
Ashley Elliott scored 12 points to lead Wyoming, which went 6-for-23 in the first half and committed 10 turnovers.
"We're a young team and we're still trying to learn to compete in some situations," said Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski. "No doubt, this was a difficult situation for us."
The Cowgirls never recovered from their slow start.
"What we need to do is step up and make a couple of shots early," Legerski said. "We started poorly and shot poorly, and from there it got difficult because we began to take shots that were not in the offense. The score started jumping by tens because of their pressure and pace."
