Lady Raiders Take on Texas State Wednesday
November 30, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game 7 vs. Texas State • December 2, 2009
United Spirit Arena (15,050) • Lubbock, Texas • 8 p.m.
The Game
Texas Tech (5-1) continues its homestand as it hosts Texas State (2-3) on Wed., Dec. 2, at 8 p.m., at the United Spirit Arena. It is the 11th meeting between the two schools.
On the Air
The game can be heard on the radio on the Texas Tech Sports Network as Steve Strain (play-by-play) and Crystal Boles (color analyst) call the game. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.texastech.com through RaiderVision All-Access. Live streaming is also available through RaiderVision All-Access and live stats are available through gametracker at www.texastech.com.
The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 5-1 on the season after winning the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Tourney last weekend with wins over San Francisco, Texas-Arlington and Prairie View A&M. On the year, sophomore Kierra Mallard paces the Lady Raiders in scoring with a 14.7 average followed by senior Ashlee Roberson at 11.0. Roberson is the top rebounder, grabbing 7.5 boards per contest and Mallard is averaging 6.0 rebounds. Mallard is shooting 52.2 percent from the field, while freshman Monique Smalls is shooting 66.7 percent from the three-point arc and sophomore Jordan Barncastle is shooting 85.7 percent from the free throw line. Smalls has a team-high 31 assists each. Senior Jordan Murphree leads the team in steals with 14. Mallard is the top shot blocker with 11 blocks. Tech is shooting 44.9 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from the three-point line and 66.4 percent from the charity stripe.
The Opponent
Texas State comes into the game with a 2-3 record after losing at Colorado State, 66-54, last Friday and losing to Houston, 90-58, last Saturday. On the year, junior Chika Ofoegbu leads the Bobcats in scoring with a 10.0 average. Senior Aimee Hilburn is the top rebounder, averaging 6.0 boards per contest. Sophomore Victoria Davis has team highs of 19 assists and nine steals, while sophomore Lacey Klause is the top shot blocker with six blocks. Texas State is shooting 36.6 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from the three-point line and 64.7 percent from the free throw line.
The Series
Texas Tech and Texas State are meeting for the 11th time in the series with the Lady Raiders winning all 10 previous games, including two in the Kristy Curry era. In their last two games, Tech defeated the Bobcats, 82-63, on Nov. 19, 2006 in Lubbock and then again in the Postseason WNIT, 82-49, on March 22, 2008 in Lubbock.
The Coaches
Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry is in her fourth season at the helm of the Lady Raiders. Curry has compiled a record of 53-48 at Tech and a career record of 232-99 in 11 years. Suzanne Fox is in her 13th year as head coach at Texas State with a record of 160-187. She is also in her 19th year as a head coach with a career record of 277-220.
The Last Time Out
November 29 - Kierra Mallard scored 21 points to lead Texas Tech to a 67-60 victory over Prairie View A&M, giving the Lady Raiders the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Tourney title. Tech began the game on a 9-0 run before Prairie View hit its first bucket at the 13:32 mark as Gaati Werema hit a jumper. The Lady Raiders largest lead of the first half came at 15-2 when Chynna Brown hit a jumper at 12:12. The Lady Panthers fought back and got within one late in the half at 27-26. Jordan Barncastle sank a jumper with 41 seconds left to give Tech a 29-26 advantage at the half. The Lady Raiders came out strong to start the second half, going on an 11-2 run the first four minutes to put the score at 40-28. However, Prairie View A&M turned the tables and outscored Tech 11-4 over the next four minutes to cut the Lady Raiders' lead to five at 44-39. With 12 minutes to go in the game, Tech went on another run as it scored nine unanswered points over a span of three and half minutes. Tech got up by as many as 17 points twice, with the last coming on a jumper by Mallard with 4:54 left in the contest. Prairie View battled back and got within six points with 12 seconds remaining, but Tech hung on to claim the seven-point win. Tilmila Martin chipped in 12 points for Tech. Ashlee Roberson grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and Monique Smalls collected a game-high six assists and six steals. Dominique Smith led Prairie View with a game-high 23 points. Tech shot 41.4 percent from the field (24-58), while the Lady Panthers shot 37.5 percent (24-64). Prairie View outrebounded Tech 42-40.
A Look Ahead
The Lady Raiders continue their homestand with games against New Mexico on Sat., Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. and Lamar on Tues., Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. Tech returns to the road for a game at UCLA on Fri., Dec. 18, at 9 p.m. CST before hosting Mercer on Mon., Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. The Lady Raiders finish 2009 by competing in the Tulane DoubleTree Classic taking on North Dakota on Mon., Dec. 28, at 8 p.m., and then will play either Long Island or Tulane in either the consolation or championship game on Tues., Dec. 29 at 6 or 8 p.m. Tech concludes non-conference play as it hosts Savannah State on Sat., Jan. 2, at 2 p.m. on the Texas Tech Sport Network (TTSN). The Lady Raiders open Big 12 play on Sat., Jan. 9, at Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m. on the TTSN and then host Colorado on Tues., Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. also on the TTSN.
Three Receive Tournament Honors
Sophomore Kierra Mallard averaged 15.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Tourney to be named MVP of the tournament. Mallard scored a season-high 21 points against Prairie View A&M, while recording her first double-double of the season and the fifth of her career with 18 points and a season-high 12 rebounds against Texas-Arlington. She also added career highs of six blocks and four assists versus UTA. Senior Ashlee Roberson and freshman Monique Smalls were named to the all-tournament team as well.
Smalls Dishing It Out
Freshman Monique Smalls has compiled 31 assists so far this season and committed just 10 turnovers for a 3.1 assist/turnover ratio. Smalls currently ranks second in the Big 12 in assist/turnover ratio among all players and is the top freshman in the league in that category.
Stealing the Show
Freshman Monique Smalls collected a career-high six steals against Prairie View A&M. For the game, Texas Tech tallied 18 steals which was a season high.
Tech Hold Opponents to Under 40 in Back-to-Back Games For the first time since December 2003, the Lady Raiders held consecutive opponents to under 40 points. Texas Tech allowed 38 points to San Francisco and 37 to Texas-Arlington.
Career High for Barncastle
Sophomore Jordan Barncastle scored a career-high 17 points in the win over San Francisco, breaking her previous career high of 14 points which she had three times, including once this season. She also tied her season-high seven rebounds.
Murphree Scores Season High
Senior Jordan Murphree had a season-high 15 points against San Francisco. Her previous best this season was 11 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Four in Double Figures in Win Over UAPB
The Lady Raiders had four players score in double figures in the 40-point win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Senior Ashlee Roberson led the way with 21, just one shy of tying her career high. Freshman Marissa Ashton came off the bench to score a career-high 14 and senior Jordan Murphree and sophomore Kierra Mallard both chipped in 11 points.
Raining 3s
Texas Tech hit 13 three-pointers against UAPB, barely missing the school record of 14 for most three-pointers in a game. The Lady Raiders shot 56.5 percent (13-23) long range.
Ashton Has Big Day
To go along with her career-high 14 points, freshman Marissa Ashton also added career highs of eight rebounds, two assists and three three-pointers against the Lady Lions.
Stealing the Show
Senior Ashlee Roberson tied her career high of five steals against UAPB. She also had five steals at Oklahoma on March 4, 2009.
Doing Dishes
Texas Tech finished the UAPB game with 25 assists, which marked the first time it had done so since tallying 30 against Miami on Dec. 6, 2004. Of those 25, freshman Monique Smalls dished out a career-high eight assists and did not commit a turnover versus UAPB. In the first two games of the year, Smalls had four and two assists, respectively.
Fifty Percent from the Field, Again
For the second time in three games, Texas Tech shot at least 50 percent from the field. The Lady Raiders were 33-of-66 for 50 percent against UAPB. In its first game of the year, Tech hit 36-of-67 shot attempts for 53.7 percent against Sam Houston State. It was the first time Tech had shot over 50 percent since shooting 57.9 percent against Sacramento State on Dec. 20, 2008.
Freshmen in the Backcourt
Freshmen Monique Smalls and Chynna Brown got the start in the backcourt in their first collegiate game. Smalls started at the one, while Brown got the nod at the two. It marked the first time two freshmen had started in the backcourt in their first collegiate game since Julie Lake and Rene Hanebutt did so against Kent State on Nov. 24, 1995, at the Coors/Rocky Mountain Invitational at Colorado State.
Roberson Snags Fourth Career Double-Double
After scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the win over Sam Houston State, senior Ashlee Roberson has now snagged four double-doubles in her career. It was also the second-straight game for her to record double-digit boards as she finished 2008-09 with 13 versus Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big 12 Championship. Last season, she only had one double-double and it didn't come until the Jan. 31 game against Oklahoma State in Lubbock.
Murphree Nearing 1,000 Points
Senior Jordan Murphree is now 52 points shy of the 1,000-point plateau. In her previous three seasons, the Brock, Texas, native had 283 points as a freshman, 323 as a sophomore and 283 as a junior. She has scored 59 points so far this year.
Coaches Have Ties
Head coach Kristy Curry has put together a staff that is very familiar with each other. Curry has ties with all of her three assistant coaches with the first being her husband, Kelly Curry. Kelly has been on both of Kristy's staffs as a assistant coach at Purdue and Texas Tech, while Brooke Stoehr and Shereka Wright were both players for Kristy and Kelly. Stoehr, the former Brooke Lassiter was a guard at Louisiana Tech from 1998-2002 and played one season for Kristy and Kelly when they were both assistant coaches for the Lady Techsters. That year, 1999, Louisiana Tech advanced to the NCAA Final Four. In the spring of 1999, Kristy became the head coach at Purdue and in the fall of 1999 she signed Wright to attend Purdue. Wright helped lead Purdue to the 2001 National Championship game and was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team.
Murphree and Wright Connection
Assistant coach Shereka Wright and senior Jordan Murphree may have several things in common but one thing for sure is that both had the same high school coach, Skip Townsend. Townsend coached Wright at Copperas Cove High School and Murphree at Brock High School.
League's Top Returning Rebounder
Sophomore Kierra Mallard averaged 7.9 rebounds in 2008-09, which led all freshmen in the league. Entering the season, Mallard was the top returning rebounder in the Big 12 for all classes.
Elite Team
Freshman Mary Bokenkamp was one of seven players from her high school team, Regis Jesuit, last year to sign with a Division I school. The six other players signed with Gonzaga (Meghan Winters), Montana State (Kelsey Roben), Pepperdine (Keyah Shealy), Santa Clara (Ruta Zurauskyte), UCLA (Mariah Williams) and Utah (Diana Rolniak).
International Flair
Freshman Christine Hyde is just the second international player to don a Lady Raider uniform. Hyde comes to the South Plains from Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The first international player for the Lady Raiders was Patrice Edwards (2004-07) who hailed from Trinidad-Tobago.
New Faces
Texas Tech has eight new faces in its locker room this year. Five of the eight are currently active. Freshmen Marissa Ashton, Chynna Brown, Mary Bokenkamp, Christine Hyde and Monique Smalls will all suit up for the exhibition game. Freshman Shauntal Nobles will redshirt this year after rupturing her Achilles during preseason workouts. Sophomore transfer Casey Morris will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, and junior transfer Teena Wickett has applied for a wavier to play this season. If the waiver is approved, she will suit up this year, if not, then she will wait to play until the 2010-11 season.
Class Breakdown
The 2009-10 Lady Raiders are young. This year's rosters has just three upperclassmen with three seniors - Tilmila Martin, Jordan Murphree and Ashlee Roberson - and just one junior in Teena Wickett. The sophomore class consists of Jordan Barncastle, Kierra Mallard and Kaylan Talley. The biggest class is the freshmen with five - Marissa Ashton, Chynna Brown, Mary Bokenkamp, Christine Hyde and Monique Smalls.
Team Captains
In a vote by their teammates, seniors Jordan Murphree and Ashlee Roberson and freshman Lindie Kimbro were selected team captains for the 2009-10 season.
Degree in Hand
In May 2009, senior Jordan Murphree graduated cum laude in just three years. The Brock, Texas, native received her bachelor's degree in exercise and sport sciences and is currently working on a second degree in human development and family studies.
On the Tube
Texas Tech will have 12 regular-season games televised this season. The Lady Raiders will appear on ESPNU three times, FSN twice, FSN Kansas City (FSNKC) once and the Texas Tech Sports Network (TTSN) six times. Tech will play Tennessee (L, 53-91), at Texas (Feb. 7) and Kansas (Feb. 21) on ESPNU. The Lady Raiders' games on FSN include Texas (Jan. 16) and Oklahoma State (Feb. 28). Tech's game at Kansas State (Feb. 24) will be on FSNKC. The six games on TTSN are Arkansas-Pine Bluff (W, 97-57), Savannah State (Jan. 2), at Oklahoma (Jan. 9), Colorado (Jan. 12), Nebraska (Jan. 27) and Oklahoma (Jan. 30).
Follow the Lady Raiders
All Lady Raider basketball games can be heard live on the Texas Tech Sports Network. TTSN has put together a seven-station network that offers coverage through the state of Texas and in parts of New Mexico. KJTV/KLZK-Lubbock serve as the network flagship stations. Listen to play-by-play by Steve Strain as he takes the court with the Lady Raiders. The following radio stations will air the Lady Raider basketball games this season:
Abilene/Haskell - KVRP 97.1 FM
Hereford - KPAN 106.3 FM
Hobbs, NM - KHOB 1390 AM
Lamesa - KPET 690 AM
Lubbock - KJTV 950 AM
Lubbock - KLZK 97.3 FM
Plainview - KVOP 1090 AM
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
The Lady Raiders inked four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. This year's class consists of 6-0 forward Kelsi Baker (Mesquite, Texas/John Horn), who is the 12th-ranked power forward and No. 71 overall player by ESPN HoopGurlz, 5-10 guard Antiesha Brown (Clovis, N.M./Clovis), 6-5 center Haley Schneider (Lubbock, Texas/Monterey) and 6-2 forward Ebony Walker (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia), who is the 25th-ranked power forward by ESPN HoopGurlz.
