Lady Raiders Host Sam Houston State Tuesday
November 26, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Texas Tech (7-0) vs. Sam Houston State (1-5)
November 27, 2007 • United Spirit Arena (15,050)
Lubbock, Texas • 7 p.m.
The Game
Texas Tech (7-0) hosts Sam Houston State (1-5) on Tues., Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. at the United Spirit Arena. It is the third meeting between the two schools.
On the Air
The game is being televised on the Texas Tech Television Network, which airs locally in Lubbock on My Lubbock TV, with play-by-play by Drew Dougherty and Crystal Boles as the color analyst. The game also can be heard on the radio on the Texas Tech Sports Network as Ryan Hyatt and Stephanie Gerber call the game. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.texastech.com through RaiderVision All-Access.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 7-0 on the year after winning all its three games in the Basketball Travelers Classic last weekend. Tech beat Idaho State, 86-72, on Thanksgiving Day; Kennesaw State, 78-56, on Friday; and Alcorn State, 90-55, on Saturday. On the year, senior Erin Myrick paces the Lady Raiders in scoring with a 14.3 average followed by junior Dominic Seals at 14.1 and sophomore Jordan Murphree at 10.3. Seals is the top rebounder, averaging 9.4 boards per outing and Myrick is averaging 7.4 rebounds. Myrick is shooting a team-high 66.7 percent from the field and sophomore Raquel Christian is shooting a team-best 54.5 percent from three-point range. Seals is 73 percent from the free throw line. Junior Maria Moore has a team-high 35 assists, while Murphree leads the team in steals with 15. Myrick is the top shot blocker with 12 blocks. Tech is shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 37 percent from three-point range and 68 percent from the charity stripe.
Scouting the Opponent
Sam Houston State enters the game with a 1-5 record after beating Western Illinois, 72-69, in Tulsa, Okla., last Saturday. In that game, sophomore Whitney Smith scored a game-high 25 points, while junior Lydia Gonzales had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Ausha Hartley and sophomore Brittany Brooks chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively. Brooks dished out eight assists and Gonzales tallied three blocks.
On the year, Smith leads the Bearkats in scoring with a 13.3 average followed by Gonzales at 13.2. Gonzales is the top rebounder, averaging 8.7 boards per contest. Brooks leads the team in assists with 29 and Hartley has a team-high 12 steals. Gonzales is the top shot blocker with six blocks. Sam Houston State is shooting 36.2 percent from the field, 23.5 percent from the three-point arc and 73.2 percent from the free throw line.
The Coaches
Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry is in her second year at the helm of the Lady Raider basketball program with a 22-16 record. Curry is in her ninth year as a head coach with a career record of 201-67.
Brenda Welch-Nichols is in her second year as head coach of the Bearkats with a record of 6-29. She is also in her 11th year as a head coach, establishing a career record of 137-160.
Series Record
Tonight is the third meeting between Texas Tech and Sam Houston State with the Lady Raiders holding a 2-0 advantage over the Bearkats. Tech won the first contest, 101-70, on March 2, 1978, at the AIAW State Tournament in San Angelo, Texas. The Lady Raiders were again victorious, 73-43, Dec. 1, 1990, in Lubbock.
Last Time Out
With a season-high five players in double-digits, Texas Tech completed a perfect Basketball Travelers Classic Saturday, defeating Alcorn State, 90-55, in front of 7,393 fans at the United Spirit Arena.
After an early Alcorn State bucket, Tech responded with 20 straight points, to take an early 20-2 lead. The Lady Raiders held the Lady Braves to 39 percent shooting during the first half.
The Lady Raiders would force Alcorn State into 13 first-half turnovers, which Tech was able to convert into 18 points. Senior Erin Myrick led Tech to a 48-24 halftime lead, as the California native posted 12 points.
Tech would continue its dominance early in the second half extending its lead to 31 with 13 minutes remaining. All 13 healthy Lady Raiders saw action in the game.
Myrick and sophomore Raquel Christian, who finished 5-for-5 from behind the arc, led Tech with 15 points each. Junior Stanecia Graham added 13 points and six rebounds, while junior Maria Moore finished with 12 points going along with her six assists. Junior Dominic Seals also added 10 points.
The Lady Raiders finished the game shooting 47 percent from the field, 9-for-18 from three-point range, while also out-rebounding Alcorn State, 44-30.
Following the game, Seals was recognized as part of the All-Tournament team, while Myrick was named the Most Valuable Player.
A Look Ahead
The Lady Raiders host Sam Houston State on Tues., Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. on the Texas Tech Television Network. Tech's last road game of 2007 will be on Sat., Dec. 1, at Washington State at 4 p.m. CST. The Lady Raiders host Houston on Tues., Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. on the Texas Tech Television Network. On Thurs., Dec. 13, Tech will host Arizona State at 7 p.m., and its final game before the Christmas break will be Oral Roberts on Tues., Dec. 18, at 7 p.m. on the Texas Tech Television Network. The Lady Raiders host SMU Sat., Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. before concluding non-conference play at Arkansas on Sat., Jan. 5, at 2 p.m.
Curry Captures 200th Career Win
Head coach Kristy Curry captured her 200th career win in the victory over Kennesaw State Nov. 23. Curry enters the game with a career record of 201-67.
Scoring Streak for Seals
Junior Dominic Seals has started off her career as a Lady Raider on a seven-game double-digit scoring streak. Seals has scored in double figures in all her games at Tech so far.
Myrick, Seals Honored at Basketball Travelers Classic
Senior Erin Myrick was named MVP of the Basketball Travelers Classic as she averaged 16.7 points and six rebounds, while shooting 80 percent from the field in Tech's three wins. She also tallied seven blocks. Junior Dominic Seals was named to the all-tournament team after she averaged 14 points and 7.7 rebounds, and shot 57.7 percent from the field.
Christian Sinks Career-High Threes
Sophomore Raquel Christian was perfect from three-point range against Alcorn State. Christian sank a career high in three-pointers as she was 5-for-5 from behind the arc. Her 15 points were also a career high.
Five in Double Figures
Texas Tech had five players score in double figures against Alcorn State, a first this season. Senior Erin Myrick and sophomore Raquel Christian led the way with 15 points apiece followed by junior Stanecia Graham with 13, junior Maria Moore with 12 and junior Dominic Seals with 10.
Starters Put Up Numbers
Four of five starters combined for 56 of Tech's 78 points in the win over Kennesaw State. Junior Dominic Seals led the way with 18 points, while senior Erin Myrick added 15. Juniors Maria Moore and Keisha Walker had 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Myrick Ties Career-High Blocks
Senior Erin Myrick tied her career-high four blocks against Kennesaw State. It marked the fourth time in her career that she has recorded four blocks in a game.
Fine Line for Moore
Junior Maria Moore produced a "fine line" versus Kennesaw State. The Sparks, Nev., native had 13 points, career-high five rebounds, tied career highs of eight assists and three steals and added a block.
Takeaways for Murphree
Sophomore Jordan Murphree snatched a career-high five steals versus Kennesaw State. Her previous career-high was four on two occasions as a freshman.
40-Point First Halves
The Lady Raiders' 40 points in the first half against Kennesaw State marked the third time this season they have scored at least 40 going into the locker room. That equals the number of times Tech scored 40 points in the first half all of last year.
Roberson Spark Against Idaho State
Sophomore Ashlee Roberson was a spark off the bench for the Lady Raiders against Idaho State. The San Antonio, Texas, native scored a career-high 11 points and tied her career highs of four rebounds, one assist and one block in just 14 minutes.
Myrick Pours in 20v
Senior Erin Myrick had her first game of the season of 20 or more points. Myrick scored a season-high 20 points in the win over Idaho State.
Block Buster
Junior Dominic Seals swatted a career-high three blocks against Idaho State. Her previous career high was two, which she had done twice earlier this season.
Season Low Turnovers
Texas Tech committed just 13 turnovers against Idaho State, marking a season low for the Lady Raiders. Tech entered that game averaging 22 giveaways per contest.
Another Four
Texas Tech had another game of four players scoring in double figures. This time, senior Erin Myrick led the way with 20 points followed by junior Dominic Seals with 14, sophomore Jordan Murphree with 13 and sophomore Ashlee Roberson with 11.
Graham Has Career Day
Junior Stanecia Graham scored a career-high 19 points in Tech's win at UNLV. The Aurora, Ill., native also finished with career highs of nine rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes of action.
First Double-Double for Myrick
Senior Erin Myrick put up her first double-double of the season with 14 points and a season-high 11 rebounds at UNLV.
Mighty Murphree
Sophomore Jordan Murphree scored a season-high 18 points at UNLV, just missing her career high of 19 points - which she had at Texas A&M last season. Murphree was 7-of-8 from the field. She also tied her season high of five assists.
Second Half Comebacks
Twice this season the Lady Raiders have been down seven points at halftime and come back to win. The first occurred at UCF and the second came at UNLV. At UCF, the Lady Raiders out-scored the Knights 46-24 as they shot 52.9 percent in the second period. At UNLV, Tech shot 56.7 percent the last 20 minutes and out-scored the Lady Rebels 54-32.
Four More in Double-Figure Scoring
For the third time this season, Texas Tech had four players score in double figures. Sophomore Jordan Murphree (18), junior Stanecia Graham (16), senior Erin Myrick (14) and junior Dominic Seals (11) all had double digits at UNLV. Seals has scored in double figures in all four games this year.
Seals Does It Again
Junior Dominic Seals did what she had done every game so far this season, record a double-double. This time Seals scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in Tech's home-opening win against IPFW.
Graham Adds Spark Off Bench
The first game it was junior Tiny Henderson; the second game it was sophomore Raquel Christian; but against IPFW it was junior Stanecia Graham who provided a spark off the bench for the Lady Raiders. Graham finished with then career highs of seven points and eight rebounds in just 15 minutes of play.
Another Four in Double Digits
After having four players score in double figures in Tech's season-opening game, the Lady Raiders had four players again score in double figures led by junior Dominic Seals with 19, sophomore Raquel Christian with 14 and juniors Tiny Henderson and Keisha Walker with 10 points apiece.
Seals Gets Another Double-Double
Junior Dominic Seals had her second-straight double-double as she poured in 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, both career highs at the time, against Northeastern in the UCF Knights Classic.
Doing Dishes
Junior Maria Moore dished out a career-high eight assists in Tech's win over Northeastern.
Shooting Over 50 Percent
In Texas Tech's win over Northeastern, the Lady Raiders shot 58.5 percent from the field. Tech connected on 31-of-53 shot attempts, including 6-of-9 from three-point range for 66.7 percent.
Christian Has Hot Hand, Ties Career-High Points
Sophomore Raquel Christian had a hot hand the first 20 minutes of the Lady Raiders' game against Northeastern. The Midland, Texas, native scored 12 of her 14 points in the first half as she was 4-for-4 from three-point range. The 14 points tied her career high, which she had on two occasions last year.
Four in Double Figures to Start Season
The Lady Raiders had four players score in double figures in their season-opening win at UCF. Sophomore Jordan Murphree led the way with 17 points followed by senior Erin Myrick with 16, junior Maria Moore with 14 and junior Dominic Seals with 10.
Seals Records First Double-Double
Despite going 0-4 from the field the first half, junior Dominic Seals came back strong in the second half to record her first double-double as a Lady Raider. Seals finished the game with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
New Faces
Seven junior college transfers grace this year's roster and two players who redshirted last season. Dominic Seals (Dallas), the 2007 State Farm/WBCA Junior College Player of the Year from South Plains College is joined by fellow SPC teammates Alana Rumph (Keller) and Ashlee Roberson (San Antonio). From Cloud County Community College is Stanecia Graham (Aurora, Ill.), and from the College of Southern Idaho is Maria Moore (Sparks, Nev.). Keisha Walker (Kansas City, Mo.) played two years at Fort Scott Community College, while Kaylan Talley (Waco) played one year at Clarendon College. Roberson and Talley both have three years of eligibility. Talley will redshirt this year after tearing her ACL during the summer. Sophomore Maddy Brown will see action after redshirting last season after transferring from Pittsburgh, and junior walk-on Kalee Davidson also redshirted last year after playing two years at UC Irvine. Brown will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks to start the season after breaking her right foot.
Class Breakdown
This year's team consists of just one senior - Erin Myrick, while there are eight juniors - Kalee Davidson, Stanecia Graham, Teddy Griffin, Tiny Henderson, Maria Moore, Alana Rumph, Dominic Seals and Keisha Walker. The sophomore class consists of six - Maddy Brown, Raquel Christian, Jordan Murphree, Ashlee Roberson, Kaylan Talley and Natalie Thomas.
Across the Nation
The 16 Lady Raiders hail from five states across the country with 11 coming from the state of Texas. Sophomore Maddy Brown is from the furthest east, hailing from Honeoye Falls, N.Y., while senior Erin Myrick is from the furthest west coming from Duarte, Calif. Junior Stanecia Graham is from Aurora, Ill., and junior Keisha Walker calls Kansas City, Mo., home. Junior Maria Moore's hometown is Sparks, Nev.
South Plains Connection
Three current Lady Raiders were teammates at South Plains College before arriving at Texas Tech. Juniors Dominic Seals and Alana Rumph played two years for the Lady Texans, while sophomore Ashlee Roberson was there for one season. South Plains College has been a pipeline for the Lady Raiders over the years as several standouts have played at SPC prior to being a Lady Raider, including Sheryl Swoopes, Angie Braziel and Aleah Johnson, just to name a few.
Seeing Double
Two players on this year's roster have twin sisters. Junior Stanecia Graham has a twin sister, Alicia, while junior Kalee Davidson has a twin sister, Kristee.
Preseason Honors
Junior Dominic Seals was named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, which was voted on by the league coaches.
Degree in Hand
Senior Erin Myrick graduated cum laude in May 2007 with a degree in broadcast journalism with minors in English and Spanish. Myrick is currently working on a second degree in public relations with a minor in general business. Senior Tawanna Flowers will graduate with a degree in human development and family studies and psychology this December.
On the Tube
Texas Tech has 14 regular-season games televised this season. The Lady Raiders will play on ESPN2 once, FSN three times, FSNSW once, FSNMW once and the Texas Tech Television Network eight times. Tech plays at Kansas State (Jan. 16) on FSNMW. On FSN, Tech plays Texas (Jan. 20), Colorado (Jan. 26) and at Baylor (Feb. 9). The Lady Raiders play on FSNSW at Texas (Mar. 5). Tech's ESPN2 game is at Texas A&M (Feb. 17). The Lady Raiders have games against IPFW (W, 72-51), Alcorn State (Nov. 24), Sam Houston State (Nov. 27), Houston (Dec. 4), Oral Roberts (Dec. 18) at Oklahoma (Jan. 23), Kansas (Feb. 20) and Oklahoma (Feb. 27) on the Texas Tech Television Network.
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:
Haskell/Abilene - KVRP-FM (97.1)
Hereford - KPAN-AM/FM (860/106.3)
Lamesa - KPET-AM (690)
Lubbock - KFYO-AM/KKCL-FM (790/98.1)
Plainview - KVOP-AM (1090)
Lady Raider Basketball with Kristy Curry
Kristy Curry's weekly television show, Lady Raider Basketball with Kristy Curry, will be televised every Sunday starting Jan. 6. The show will air on FOX34 at 10 p.m. and My Lubbock TV at 10:30 p.m.
The Kristy Curry Radio Show
The Kristy Curry Radio Show will be held each Monday starting Jan. 7 from 6-7 p.m. The show will air on KFYO-AM 790 locally. The show will be held at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar located at 4th and Milwaukee.
