Lady Raiders Set to Take on Owls
November 20, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2005
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#13/13 Texas Tech (1-1) vs. Rice (0-1)
November 21, 2005 • Autry Court (4,000) • Houston, Texas • 7 p.m.
The Game
No. 13/13 Texas Tech (1-1) plays at Rice (0-1) on Mon., Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. at Autry Court. It marks the first road game for the Lady Raiders this season.
On the Air
There is no television coverage of this game. The game can be heard on the radio on the Texas Tech Sports Network as Ryan Hyatt calls the game.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 1-1 on the year after beating Southeast Missouri State, 85-56, last Friday. On the year, senior LaToya Davis leads the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game followed by junior Alesha Robertson at 17.0 and senior Erin Grant at 16.5. Davis is also the top rebounder, grabbing 10.5 boards per outing. Sophomore Tawanna Flowers is averaging 6.5 rebounds a game. Davis is shooting a team-high 65.2 percent from the field and Robertson is shooting 30 percent from behind the three-point arc. Grant has a team-high 13 assists and freshman Tiny Henderson leads the team in steals with five. Sophomore Erin Myrick is the top shot blocker with four blocks. The Lady Raiders are shooting 44 percent from the field, 21.7 percent from three-point range and 73.2 percent from the charity stripe.
Scouting the Opponent
Rice enters the game with an 0-1 record after losing at Ole Miss, 110-63, last Friday. In that game, junior Krystal Frazier led the Owls with 11 points and junior Lauren Neaves chipped in 10 points. Sophomore Tiffany Loggins had a team-high nine rebounds. Frazier added two assists, while sophomore Valeriya Berezhynska tallied two blocks. Rice shot 33.3 percent from the field, 17.6 percent from three-point range and 57.1 percent from the free throw line.
Greg Williams is in his first year at the helm of the Owls with an 0-1 record. He is also in his 13th year as a head coach with a career record of 201-140.
Series Record
Texas Tech is 33-3 versus Rice as the series dates back to the 1981-82 season. Tech has won the last 22 meetings, including last year's 66-55 win in Lubbock, Nov. 22 - Tech's season opener. The Lady Raiders won the last contest in Houston, 70-66, on Dec. 30, 2002. Rice's last win came on Jan. 7, 1989, in an 83-65 triumph in Houston. Tech is 16-1 against Rice in Houston, losing its only road game, 83-65, Jan. 7, 1989.
A Look Ahead
Texas Tech will play at Mississippi Nov. 23 at 7 p.m., before returning home to host Stanford Nov. 27 at 3:30 p.m. on FSN and Sacramento State Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. The Lady Raiders will play at Penn State Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. CST on ESPN2 as part of the Big 12/Big Ten Challenge. Tech will host Oral Roberts on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. The Sacramento State and Oral Roberts games will be televised on the Texas Tech Television Network.
Grant Pours in Season High
Senior Erin Grant poured in a season-high 23 points in leading Texas Tech to a win over Southeast Missouri State. Grant was 8-for-11 from the field for 72.7 percent. Grant also had four assists and three steals in the contest.
Double Digit Scoring
Junior Alesha Robertson and senior LaToya Davis also put up double figures in Tech's win as Robertson had 17 and Davis finished with 14. Erin Grant, Davis and Robertson have all scored in double figures in both games this season.
Flowers Big on the Boards
Sophomore Tawanna Flowers grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against SEMO and tied her career-high seven points.
Davis Sets Tip-Off Classic Record
Senior LaToya Davis set a new State Farm Women's Tip-Off Classic record for field goal percentage as she was 10-for-13 for 76.9 percent against LSU. The old mark was 72.8 percent held by three players.
Getting the Start
Sophomore Erin Myrick and freshman Tiny Henderson got their first career starts against LSU. Myrick finished the game with four points, three rebounds and tied her career-high four blocks. Henderson, who played 34 minutes against the Lady Tigers, scored 11 points and added four steals and two assists. The last freshman to get her first start in the opening game was Erin Grant in 2002, which was also in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic against Louisiana Tech held in Knoxville, Tenn., that year.
Great Fan Support
Texas Tech had 14,641 fans in attendance for the State Farm Women's Tip-Off Classic, marking the 10th-largest crowd at the United Spirit Arena for a women's basketball game.
Preseason Honors
Senior Erin Grant has been named a preseason Player of the Year Candidate for The State Farm Wade Trophy and the Wooden Award as well as preseason All-Big 12. Grant was also named preseason first team All-America by Women's Basketball News Service and high honorable mention by Street & Smith's . Senior LaToya Davis was named honorable mention by Street & Smith's. Davis, senior Chesley Dabbs and junior Alesha Robertson were selected preseason honorable mention All-Big 12.
ESPN Experts Like Grant
ESPN.com grilled its panel of experts - bracket Charlie Creme, columnist Mechelle Voepel and ESPN's Nancy Lieberman and Beth Mowins on their picks for the 2005-06 season. Texas Tech's Erin Grant was picked the best passer in the country by Creme, Lieberman and Voepel, while Voepel chose Grant as the best ball handler in the nation. Creme and Lieberman also picked the Lady Raiders to win the Big 12 Championship.
Dabbs to Redshirt
Senior Chesley Dabbs will redshirt the 2005-06 season after having surgery to her left knee on Nov. 10 to repair a torn ACL and meniscus. Dabbs suffered the injury during preseason workouts.
Sister Act
The Lady Raiders welcome their first pair of sisters to their roster this season in sophomore Darrice Griffin and freshman Teddy Griffin. They are also the first second generation players to play for head coach Marsha Sharp. The Griffins' mother, Tami Wilson, played for Texas Tech in 1990-92.
Grant Closing in on Big 12 Record
Senior Erin Grant is closing in on the Big 12 career assists record. Grant has 674 assists in her career. She currently ranks third in the Big 12 as Toccara Williams (Texas A&M 2001-04) is second with 724 and Stacey Dales (Oklahoma 1998-02) is first with 764. Grant has averaged 220.3 assists per year in her first three seasons.
Robertson on the Move
Junior Alesha Robertson has 832 career points and is looking to crack the 1,000-point mark this season. Robertson currently stands ninth all-time in three-point field goals made (100) and ninth in three-point field goal attempts (262).
Davis Dangerous Inside
Senior LaToya Davis is a force to be reckon with in the paint. Davis shot 61.3 percent from the field last year and entered the year with a career shooting percentage of 60.6, which ranks first all-time at Tech. She also averaged 7.9 rebounds as a junior, while recording a career-high 16 rebounds vs. Middle Tennessee State in the second round of the NCAA Championship.
Home Sweet Home
Texas Tech has won 89 of its 98 games it has played at the United Spirit Arena for a .908 winning percentage. In the Sharp era, the Lady Raiders have won 279 of their 322 home contests (.866 percent). Tech has produced five perfect seasons at home 1999-00 (16-0), 1998-99 (14-0), 1995-96 (16-0), 1992-93 (15-0) and 1991-92 (11-0).
Sharp the Best in the Big 12
Texas Tech head coach Marsha Sharp has produced the most wins of any coach in Big 12 play. Sharp had led the Lady Raiders to a Big 12-leading 109 conference wins since 1997.
Diploma in Hand
Senior Erin Grant is not only a standout on the court, but also in the classroom. Grant graduated from Texas Tech last May with degrees in marketing and general business in just three years. She is currently working on her MBA.
Winning Percentage By Class
The senior class is 79-23 (.775) mark and 35-13 (.729) in the conference. The junior class posts a record of 50-17 (.746) and 22-10 (.688). The sophomore class is 25-9 (.735) and 12-4 (.750) in the league, while the freshmen are 1-1 (.500).
On the Tube
Texas Tech will have 17 regular-season games televised this season. Tech will appear on ESPN2 three times: LSU (L, 68-76), at Penn State Dec. 4 and at Texas Feb. 26; and on ESPNU once: Texas Feb. 1. The Lady Raiders will play on FSN six times: Stanford Nov. 27, Baylor Jan. 15, Nebraska Jan. 21, at Missouri Jan. 28, at Texas A&M Feb. 5 and at Baylor Feb. 19. Tech will play on FSN Midwest at Kansas State Jan. 4. The Texas Tech Television Network will air the following games: Sac State Dec. 1, Oral Roberts Dec. 15, Texas A&M Jan. 7, Colorado Feb. 11 and Oklahoma March 1. Tech's game at Oklahoma Jan. 18 will be on the Sooner Sports Network and broadcast back to Lubbock.
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 253 weeks. That includes the week of Nov. 14 in which Tech if ranked 13th in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches poll. Tech is 13th in the preseason Associated Press poll, which will release its next ranking on Mon., Nov. 21.
Poll Position
The Texas Tech Lady Raiders entered the 2005-06 season ranked in the top 25 in various polls.
CBS Sportsline/Basketball News............................................. 8th
Street & Smith's............................................................................ 9th
Women's Basketball News Service....................................... 10th
ESPN.com.................................................................................. 11th
Associated Press....................................................................... 13th
USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches....................................... 13th
Athlon.......................................................................................... 14th
Lindy's......................................................................................... 17th
Follow the Lady Raiders
All Lady Raider basketball games can be heard live on the Texas Tech Sports Network on KFYO-AM 790 and KKCL-FM 98.1 locally. Listen to play-by-play by Ryan Hyatt as he takes the court with the Lady Raiders. The following radio stations will air the Lady Raider basketball games this season:
Amarillo - KIXZ-AM (940)
Haskell - KVRP-FM (97.1)
Hereford - KPAN-AM/FM (860/106.3)
Lamesa - KPET-AM (690)
Lubbock - KFYO-AM/KKCL-FM (790/98.1)
Midland - KMMD/KRIL-AM (1510/1410)
Plainview - KVOP-AM (1090)
Lady Raider Basketball with Marsha Sharp
Marsha Sharp's weekly television show, Lady Raider Basketball with Marsha Sharp, is televised every Sunday on FOX34 at 10 p.m. and UPN Lubbock at 10:30 p.m.
The Marsha Sharp Radio Show
The Marsha Sharp Radio Show will be held each Monday starting Jan. 9 from 6-7 p.m. The show will air on KFYO-AM 790 and KKCL-FM 98.1 locally. The site for the show will be announced at a later date.
Lady Raiders Ink Two to National Letters of Intent
Texas Tech signed two standout student-athletes to National Letters of Intent: Raquel Christian (Midland, Texas) and Jordan Murphree (Brock, Texas). Christian is a 5-7 guard from Midland High School and Murphree is a 5-11 guard from Brock High School.
Lubbock - The Place to Live
The first-ever Coldwell Banker® College Market Home Price Comparison Index (HPCI) found that fans and alumni of Texas Tech should stand and cheer. Lubbock, Texas, ranks as the most affordable college town in the study, with an average home price of $164,133. The College Market HPCI evaluated average home values for a single-family dwelling in a middle-management community measuring approximately 2,200 square feet with four bedrooms, two and one-half baths, a family room (or equivalent) and two-car garage. The snapshot study examined 59 markets that are home to the premier college football programs in the country. Palo Alto, Calif., home of Stanford, topped the charts as the most expensive college town in the index at $1,550,000.
