Texas Tech University Athletics
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Incarnate Word
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Blacklock knocks down four threes in win over UIW
November 04, 2024 | Women's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – After getting double-digit performances from three different players, the Texas Tech Lady Raiders opened its 50th season with a 78-48 victory over the Incarnate Word Cardinals on Monday night at the United Supermarkets Arena.
Junior Adlee Blacklock led the Lady Raiders in scoring after tying her career-high with four buckets from beyond the arc with 14 points, while adding five rebounds and two assists. Right behind Blacklock was junior Jasmine Shavers who totaled 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting as she also recorded four boards and two steals. Junior Bailey Maupin put together a 12-point game and graduate Jordyn Merritt went a perfect 3-for-3 from the field for nine points while leading the team with seven rebounds.
Five Lady Raiders recorded a block in the game – Merritt, Sarengbe Sanogo, Bird Martin, Kilah Freelon and Denae Fritz. Freelon also led the team with a career-high four steals while also adding six boards and four points. Jalynn Bristow and Jada Wynn both tallied seven points apiece, with Bristow adding five rebounds, an assist and a career-best three steals. Fritz posted a team-best and career-high tying four assists while grabbing a steal and a rebound.
The Lady Raiders shot 43.9 percent from the field (25-for-57) and connected with eight 3-pointers. Tech added 20-made free throws on the night as well as 39 rebounds (17 offensive), 13 assists and 14 steals. The Lady Raiders held Incarnate Word to just 26.3 percent from the field (10-for-38) and forced 26 Cardinal turnovers. This is the most turnovers forced for the Lady Raiders since last year on Dec. 13, 2023, when they forced 31 against Incarnate Word.
The Lady Raiders began the season with a 3-pointer from Wynn thanks to a dish from Fritz. Then, Wynn scored again with a layup thanks to another Fritz assist. Both teams traded points until Shavers connected with a tough layup through traffic to make it 9-5 in Tech's favor. A couple of newcomers followed that up with some baskets as Bristow made a layup and Blacklock hit a three. The Lady Raiders closed out the quarter with four made free throws from Shavers and Fritz to lead 19-9.
The second quarter started out as a low-scoring affair, but Lubbock native, Blacklock, connected with a second-chance 3-pointer at the 7:17 mark. Then, sophomore Loghan Johnson grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up while getting fouled for an and-one opportunity as the Lady Raiders held the 24-9 lead. Blacklock hit her third three of the night then was fouled on the play to give Tech four points. Bristow and Wynn added five more free throws before Maupin connected with one beyond the arc for the 36-12 advantage. Tech closed out the period on a 7-0 run thanks to a couple of steals and fastbreak layups by Freelon and a corner three with 14 seconds left from Blacklock.
Incarnate Word scored the first basket coming out of the half with a layup 40 seconds in. Tech answered when Sanogo got the and-one chance after connecting with a layup, and then successfully converted the free throw to make it 48-19. Bristow added a jumper to increase Tech's lead, but both teams would go on a scoring drought for almost two minutes until the Cardinals made a couple free throws. Shavers would go on to score seven points over the next minute and a half of play. Shavers and Sanogo both made layups to end the quarter before Incarnate Word added two free throws to make it 61-31.
Merritt got a block, two rebounds and a layup to begin the final quarter. Incarnate Word scored the next four points before Maupin hit a 3-pointer and two free throws to increase the lead to 33. At 5:49, Fritz was able to get an offensive rebound and put up a second-chance layup for the 70-35 advantage. The Cardinals scored three more points, but Merritt responded by scoring the next seven Tech points. Incarnate Word ended the game on a 5-0 run, but the Lady Raiders held on to win the game by a 78-48 score.
Up next, Texas Tech will host Houston Christian on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. at the United Supermarkets Arena.
Quoteables
Head Coach Krista Gerlich
Opening statement…
"Excited about this season and this team. The first half I thought was pretty good. I thought that we scored it well and we had some momentum building up. It was tough playing against the zone, right out of the box, just because we've worked really, really hard against man, and want to be a really good man offensive team. And I thought that we did not really execute our zone offense as well as we needed to. We fouled quite a bit. But, the first half wasn't terrible. I thought it was pretty good. The second half was not pretty, we definitely did not adjust. We continued to foul and put them at the free throw line, turned the ball over way too much and we just never got in the groove that I wanted us to get in in the second half. We played a lot of kids, and I wanted to play a lot of kids in these early games and get some rotations down. And it's going to take me a little bit to figure out the rotations, but I thought overall, obviously, a 30-point win on opening night is a good day."
On Denae Fritz' first game as a Lady Raider…
"I was really proud of Denae. We're kind of playing her at a different position as far as what she's used to playing. But I thought she was really calm. I thought she was very confident in what she was doing. I love the fact that she played 25 minutes and had four assists and only one turnover. That's really, really big. We've got to get her more involved on the offensive side of it, as far as shooting the ball, because she can really score it. And, I don't want to take away her scoring opportunities because she's playing the point for us, so I loved her demeanor tonight. I thought she was super coachable. I thought she really wanted to be a leader. She can defend at a high level and she gave us some good energy. She made some pretty unselfish passes early. I think she made a steal and gave up a layup to be able to get an assist to Jada [Wynn] in that first play, and that just speaks volumes about who she is."
#8 Junior Guard Adlee Blacklock
On what it was like playing in front of her hometown crowd…
"I grew up going to Lady Raider basketball games, so it was awesome being able to play in front of my family and noticing the people in the crowd that I've grown up with. I'm glad I shot the ball well enough to put on a show for them."
On her confidence shooting the ball…
"Coming into this program, I was at a low confidence point from my previous seasons shooting the ball, but Krista [Gerlich] and the staff have just spoke confidence into me daily. So, I knew coming into the game that her and my team trusted me to knock down my shots, and when my number was called, I had all the confidence to do just that."
#12 Graduate Forward Jordyn Merritt
On how the depth and competition of her teammates have made the team better overall...Â
"It has definitely challenged us within practices that every possession matters, every turnover matters, every shot that you make, or you don't make, factors into the opportunities that you get in the game. So, it just allows us to push ourselves, sometimes to be even more aggressive, stronger and tougher than our competition. So, going into the games, it's just like, 'Okay, we practice all weekend, some things are harder overcoming with different highs and lows in practice.' This is nothing when we were able to come together and push those moments. So, I think this has for sure, helped us be more competitive."
