Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Mississippi Valley State
Red-hot Lady Raiders close non-con play Tuesday
December 26, 2022 | Women's Basketball
Tech welcomes MVSU for a 2 p.m. contest
Returning to action for the first time since the Christmas holiday, the contest against MVSU will be the seventh game of a program-record eight game homestand. The final game of the stretch is the Big 12 opener on Dec. 31 when Iowa State makes its annual trip to Lubbock.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (11-1) vs. Mississippi Valley State (2-8)
LOCATION: United Supermarkets Arena
DATE: Dec. 27, 2022
TIME: 2 PM
LAST TIME OUT:
Behind a strong defensive effort that included 19 forced turnovers and just 38 total points allowed, the Texas Tech Lady Raiders dropped UC Riverside 59-38 Tuesday afternoon at United Supermarkets Arena.
In the final game before the Christmas holiday, the Lady Raiders (11-1) locked down on the defensive end, allowing 10 points or fewer in three of four quarters.
The 38 points allowed today were the fewest a Lady Raider team has allowed since the 2019-20 season when Tech held ULM to 38 points in an 83-38 victory over the Warhawks. Ironically, that game was also played on Dec. 22.
Tech was led on the afternoon by Bailey Maupin's 11 points, while Jazmaine Lewis added 10 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting. Lewis also made both of her free throw attempts.
UC Riverside (2-8) were led by Anna Blount who scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. Blount was the only Highlander to reach double-figures, as UC Riverside shot just 15-of-50 from the floor.
KNOW YOUR FOE (MVSU):
Mississippi Valley State enters Tuesday's contest with a record of 2-8 overall. MVSU's two wins have come against Nichols State (Nov. 22) and at New Orleans (Dec. 14). The Devilettes are battling the injury bug as only six players appeared against South Alabama. MVSU finished that contest with just five active players after Zaria Harleaux was disqualified after picking up her fifth foul. Three different MVSU players finished the contest against South Alabama with four fouls. Only four Devilettes have appeared in all 10 games: Zaria Harleaux, Elisa Saffold, Kerrigan Johnson and Milia Gibson. MVSU's leading scorer is technically Anjanae Mueck, but the 6-1 Arizona native has played in just three games. Mueck has reached double figures in all three of those contests including a 15 point, 9 rebound performance last Tuesday at South Alabama. For the season, Mueck is averaging 13.7 points and is shooting 42.9 percent from the field. MVSU's second-leading scorer is Zakiya Mahoney. After playing in at least 26 minutes in eight games, Mahoney played in just one minute of action at New Orleans. She missed her teams game in Mobile against the Jaguars back on Dec. 20.
WE'LL TAKE THAT
• Texas Tech has forced 101 turnovers over the last five contests including a Krista Gerlich Era record 24 vs. Alabama State. As a team the Lady Raiders have forced 220 turnovers through the seasons first 12 games. All of last season Tech forced just 396. The Lady Raiders are a perfect 10-0 this season when forcing more than 15 turnovers and have forced at least 20 turnovers four times. Tech did not force at least 20 turnovers in a game at all last season.
BEST IN THE BIG 12
• Entering Tuesday's game against MVSU, the Lady Raiders are 11-1, the best overall record in the Big 12. With a victory on Tuesday against MVSU, the Lady Raiders could become the first team in the league to reach 12 wins. Kansas State finished non-conference play at 11-2 while KU closed 10-1 overall.
SEEING DOUBLE
• Senior Bre'Amber Scott recorded her first-career double-double against Sam Houston. The Guard scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in just 27 minutes of action. Scott is the first Lady Raider with a double-double in a game since Taylah Thomas had 22 and 13 at OU last Feb. 16. Scott exploded for a season-high 24 points against ORU, just four points shy of her career-high. Scott has 60 points the last four games (15/game).
BIG JAZZ MAKES AN IMPACT
• Houston transfer Jazmaine Lewis has made an immediate impact since transferring to Tech. After recording just five career games with 10+ points during her 68 game UofH career, Lewis already has seven games with 10+ as a Lady Raider (8 games). Against Sam Houston on Dec. 6, Lewis had one of the most efficient games this season by a Lady Raider, when she scored 17 points in just 12 minutes of action. Lewis is shooting 66.7 percent (44-66) from the field and has set a new career-high for points twice this season (A&M Corpus, Sam Houston). Lewis is just shy of qualifying for the national leaders. If Lewis did qualify, her field goal percentage would be sixth in the country.
WE MISSED THE BIG KAT
• Grad student Katie "Big Kat" Ferrell made her much anticipated return to the lineup against Sam Houston. After injuring her hand in practice between the A&M Corpus Christi and Jackson State games, Ferrell missed seven straight games. In her return to the lineup, Big Kat did Big Kat things, grabbed three rebounds and dishing out three assists. The point-forward also had a steal and did not turn the ball over in her 13 minutes of action. Ferrell is the only active D-I player in the country to have recorded 500 career points, 500 career assists and 700 rebounds.
ALL SHE DOES IS WIN
• After not losing all last season and just once during her junior season, true freshman Bailey Maupin has now lost just twice in her last three seasons of competitive basketball. Maupin's 27 points are the most by a true freshman since Chrislyn Carr scored 35 points against Nevada (Dec. 15, 2018). Carr is the last true freshman to lead the Lady Raiders in scoring (17.9), and the last true freshman to score 500+ points in a season (555). Maupin reached 100 points for her career back on Dec. 1 against Alabama State.
PARTY IN THE U-S-A
• United Supermarkets Arena was the place to be on Dec. 6, as the Lady Raiders welcomed over 9,000 excited grade school students for the annual education day game. The announced crowd of 13,336 was the second-largest crowd for a WBB game this season (second to just Iowa State/Iowa back on Dec. 7). The Lady Raiders are averagng 5,517 fans a game, the 11th-best mark in the country and second in the Big 12 behind just Iowa State.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
• Head coach Krista Gerlich and her Lady Raider squad open an eight-game homestand (the longest in program history) on Thursday night. In fact, the Lady Raiders have taken their last roadtrip of the 2022 calendar year. Tech next hits the road for a two-game road swing Jan. 5-8. The eight-game homestand is the longest in program history, one game longer than the seven-game stand that Tech had during the 2009-10, 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2019-20 seasons.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK X2
• After averaging 11 points last week in a pair of victories, freshman Bailey Maupin earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week back on Dec. 23. Maupin joined Bella Fontroy of Baylor as the only player to earn a pair of Freshman of the Week honors this season.
GOIN' BACK-TO-BACK
• For just the third time in school history and for the first time since 2003 , the Lady Raiders have had back-to-back Big 12 Freshman of the Week honorees. Freshman Bailey Maupin was selected last week (Nov. 21) while Jasmine Shavers earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors this week (Nov. 28). Shavers and Maupin join Erin Grant and LaToya Davis (2003) as the only set of teammates to win back-to-back freshman of the week honors. Shavers/Maupin and Grant/Davis join Melinda Schmucker/Keitha Dickerson (1997) as the only set of teammates all-time to win freshman of the week.
UP NEXT:The Lady Raiders close the eight-game homestand on Saturday (Dec. 31) against Iowa State. The 2 p.m. tip will also serve as Tech's Big 12 Conference opener.
