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The Lady Raider kicked-off the 2012-2013 Season against the Arizona State Sun Devils (0-2, 0-0 Pac12) on Sunday, Nov 11, 2012, in Tempe, AZ with a win. The Lady Raiders beat the Sun Devils 61-49.
The Lady Raiders (2-0, 0-0 Big-12) had four players score in double-digits: G Casey Morris: 15 points and 4 steals, F Jackie Patterson had 12 points, G Chynna Brown and G Christine Hyde both had 10 points. G Monique Smalls also had 4 steals. You might recall last year that at one point Smalls led the nation in steals.
This is a great win for the Lady Raiders. It was the season opener but it was also a road game and Arizona State came back strong in the 2nd half of play and got within a one point difference but Texas Tech stepped up and pulled away to put the game away for good.
The Lady Raiders are coming off a frustrating season, in which they started out extremely strong and then waned and fell flat at the end of the regular season. In the 2011-2012 season Tech, started out with a record of 14-0 in Non-Conference play, but then in Big 12 play the Lady Raiders struggled and finished with a 6-12 record. They did not get an invitation to the "Big Dance" but they were invited to the WNIT tournament. They won the 1st and 2nd round games but lost in the 3rd round.
The Lady Raiders returned five seniors: Guards Chynna Brown, Christine Hyde, Casey Morris, Monique Smalls and Mary Bokenkamp. The position of Forward will be covered by juniors Kelsi Baker and Shauntal Nobles and a junior transfer, Jackie Patterson.
Newcomers to the team are Patterson, who is a transfer from Hutchinson Community College, where last season she averaged 16.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists and led the team to a 36-1 record and a NJCAA national championship game appearance. Patterson was voted the Big 12 Conference 2012-13 Preseason Newcomer of the Year by the coaches.
Freshman Guard Minta Spears, a 3-pt and FT phenom out of Bullard, TX. Freshman Forward Shunta Nevitt is a three-star recruit from 2012 State Champ Spring Dekaney High School. Freshman Guard Ivonne Cook-Taylor,is rebound and shooting specialist from Northern California but will be red shirted due to a ligament injury. Freshman Forward/Center Kellyn Schneider from Lubbock Monterey, whose strength is her mobility.
Congratulations to the Lady Raiders and Coach Kristy Curry on the first win of the season.