The Lady Red Raiders play the San Diego Toreros in Lubbock on Thursday March 22, 2012 at 7pm CDT at the USA. This will be the 5th meeting between these two teams. Tech leads the series 4-0. This is the second time this season that Tech has played the University of San Diego. The first time was in December 2011. That game was a nail biter with Tech coming out on top 58-57.
Tech (21-13, 7-13) enters the game beating Eastern Illinois and Tulane in the 1st and 2nd Rounds of the WNIT. San Diego (24-8, 12-4 WCC) comes into this Sweet Sixteen match-up after beating Cal State Northridge and Pacific.
NOTE: The first 1,000 students that show their Texas Tech school ID at the Southeast ticket window will receive a free ticket for admission. All free tickets will be distributed only at the Southeast ticket window. Those who are not in the first 1,000 can purchase tickets for only $4 at the same location. Tickets are $6 for reserved seating
What's at Stake: Tech and San Diego are looking to keep their seasons alive and to progress to the Elite-8 in the WNIT.
Comment: The Lady Raiders need to show that they are the team everyone witnessed in December and January. They need to play with the same aggressiveness and cohesive team-work they had in the beginning of the season. The Lady Raiders need to win this game and continue to win until they are the WNIT Champs. They need to show that although they had their slump in the later part of conference play, they are a team to be reckoned with. As I have said many times before ... Just get a win. It's as simple as that.
| WNIT Sweet 16 games | Host | Visitors |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 3/22 7pm CDT | Texas Tech | San Diego |
| Thu 3/22 7pm CDT | Oklahoma State | Missouri State |
| Tue 3/20 7pm PDT | Oregon State | Washington |
| Fri 3/23 7pm EDT | James Madison University | South Florida |
| Thu 3/22 7pm EDT | Temple | Syracuse |
| Thu 3/22 7pm EDT | Toledo | Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) |
| Thu 3/22 7pm EDT | Virginia | Appalachian State |
| Thu 3/22 7pm MDT | Colorado | Villanova |
More after the Jump ...
Current record: Tech's current season record is 21-13, 7-13 Big 12. San Diego's current season record is 24-8, 12-4 WCC.
Rankings: Neither team is ranked. Tech ended the regular season in 9th place in the Big 12. San Diego ended their conference play in 3rd place in the West Coast conference.
Players to watch:
Tech: Senior Forward Kierra Mallard is averaging 11.7 pts and 8.2 rebounds/game and has 49 blocks and 34 steals; Junior Guard Casey Morris averages 9.4 points per game and 3.7 rebounds/game and has 48 steals and has a 86 FT%; Junior Christine Hyde is out for the remainder of the season due to an injury and surgery; Junior Guard Monique Smalls is averaging 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds and has 70 steals; Sophomore Kelsi Baker averages 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds/game and has 9 blocks and 17 steals; Sophomore Forward Shauntal Nobles is averaging 6.3 pts and 5.1 rebounds/game and has 20 blocks and 19 steals. Junior Guard Chynna Brown is averaging 8.8 pts and 4.1 rebounds/game and has 20 steals; Senior Forward Jordan Barncastle averages 5.2 pts/game and completes 78% FTs and has 10 steals and 6 blocks.
San Diego: Sophomore Forward Felicia Wijenberg is averaging 5.3pts and 4 rebounds/game; Senior Guard Dominique Conners averages 16.9pts and 5.1 rebounds/game and has 71 Steals; Senior Guard Izzy Chilcott averages 6.9pts and 6.3 rebounds/game and has 29 Steals and is a 75% FT shooter; Sophomore Guard Amy Kame averages 11.5pts and 5.2 rebounds/game and has 26 Steals and is over 89% from the FT line; Senior Guard Morgan Woodrow is averaging 12.9pts and 4.8 rebounds/game and is a 84% FT shooter.
Previously Play: The Lady Red Raiders played the Tulane Green Wave in Lubbock on March 18, 2012. Tech led by seven at the half but was even on the boards with 18 each. Tech had a very strong 2nd half and pulled away from Tulane with a 13-5 run, beating Tulane 69-55. The Toreros played the University of the Pacific in San Diego on March 18, 2012. San Diego was in the lead by 10 points at the half but then they struggled in the 2nd half. Pacific had a 17-6 run and came within 5 points with a little less than 3 minutes left in the game. San Diego kept the Pacific Tigers at bay and won 83-75.
Coaches: Kristy Curry is coaching her 6th season at Tech. (109-86). Cindy Fisher is entering her 7th at USD (107-82).
TV: None
Radio: Texas Tech Sports Network 97.3 FM (Lubbock)
Gametracker: www.texastech.com/gametracker and www.usdtoreros.cstv.com/gametracker
Streaming video/audio: www.texastech.com/allaccess/ (~ $10/month)
Game Thread will go up at 6:45pm CDT on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Other Notes and Quotes:
In the game against Tulane, Jordan Barncastle had a season-high 21 points. Two other Lady Raiders also had double figures: Casey Morris scored 12 points and Kelsi Baker added 10.
Junior guard Monique Smalls started her 100th game of her career on Sunday. She and junior guard Casey Morris are the only two players to start all 34 games this season. Smalls has started every game at Texas Tech since coming to Lubbock in 2009.
Texas Tech's win on Sunday marks the first time the Lady Raiders have won two postseason games since 2004-05 when the Lady Raiders won two games in the NCAA Tournament.
Tech advances to the Round of 16 in the WNIT for the second time in program history (2008).
Head Coach Kristy Curry
On shutting down their top scorers
"When you look at Grayson, I think she has shot nearly 150 shots more than anybody else on the team (this season) and we really wanted to limit her touches. I think we did a great job of being aggressive against Benzio and they did a great job of being aggressive on our inside game as well. We kind of knew coming in that we neutralized each other there at times. Blagg (Danielle) is really a lot better than she played today but we really made it difficult for her. We guarded her a lot like we did Fussell (Chassidy Fussell of Texas)so it's great for our kids to be able to draw from some experiences where we have had some success against some shooters like that. If you can take away that first, second and third option, you can give yourself some confidence on the defensive end."
What's Working For Your Team Right Now
"I liked our poise. I thought at times in both games we had a chance to go one way or the other and I thought the kids really stuck together and communicated well. The poise that we are showing at times is really an improvement. We have been really pleased with us making a stop, making a play, making a good decision on both ends of the floor."
On playing well late in the game
"Better communication. Better leadership. All five being on the same page on both ends of the floor and continuing to grow and improve that. The margin for error and mistake is so incredibly small in any game. Basketball is a game of mistakes and the team that makes the fewest is often going to be the most successful. The difference in the game was the boards in the second half. At halftime it was 18-18 and 15-15 the last game. We came back out and did a great job on the glass."
Kelsi Baker
On her aggressiveness
"I made some dumb mistakes but I can't let that change the way I play. My teammates told me to keep going in, keep rebounding and keep playing aggressive so that's what I did."
What have you been working on the most the last few weeks
"Just trying to help my team any way that I can. The team and coaches have shown a lot of confidence in me the whole year and in the times I was in the trenches and not playing so well, they continued to show that confidence. I just want to keep playing well and improve in every aspect of my game."
Jordan Barncastle
On being in control the entire game
"We just tried to be aggressive offensively. From the get go, setting the tone and the tempo. I thought the crowd was great for a spring break WNIT game and it was awesome feeding off their energy. Just coming out with that confidence and encouragement and getting it from the get-go."
How much confidence does the team have right now
"We just try to have a short term memory like we have all season and take this and grow and learn from it and move on. We want to take the things we were able to be successful with today to the next game."
How important is it for you senior season to extend on
"For it to end would mean we would have to lose which is not what any of us want to do. It would be nice to go out on a high note so we want to keep this going as long as we can."
TEXAS TECH LADY RAIDERS
| TEXAS TECH LADY RAIDERS (21-13, 7-13) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | NO. | HT | P | YR | STATS |
| Monique Smalls | 23 | 5-6 | G | JR | 8.8 pts/game |
| Casey Morris | 15 | 5-9 | G | JR | 10.1 pts/game |
| Chynna Brown | 00 | 5-8 | G | JR | 8.9 pts/game |
| Jordan Barncastle | 1 | 6-2 | F | SR | 5.8 pts/game |
| Shauntal Nobles | 33 | 6-3 | F | SO | 6.7 pts/game |
SAN DIEGO TOREROS
| San Diego Toreros (24-8, 12-4 WCC) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | NO. | HT | P | YR | STATS |
| Felicia Wijenberg | 13 | 6-2 | F | SO | 5.3 pts/game |
| Dominique Conners | 2 | 5-8 | G | SR | 16.9 pts/game |
| Izzy Chilcott | 4 | 5-10 | G | SR | 6.9 pts/game |
| Amy Kame | 10 | 6-0 | G | SO | 11.5 pts/game |
| Morgan Woodrow | 22 | 6-0 | G | SR | 12.9 pts/game |
Four Factors to Winning
| The Four Factors to Winning | ||
|---|---|---|
| San Diego | Texas Tech | |
| Shooting eFG% | 0.379 | 0.343 |
| Ball Handling TO% | 0.368 | 0.39 |
| Off rebounding OR% | 0.294 | 0.314 |
| Shooting FTs FT Rate | 0.718 | 0.674 |
TEAM STATISTICS
| Team Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoring Offense | W-L | Pts | Avg/G |
| Texas Tech | 21-13, 7-13 | 2295 | 67.5 |
| San Diego | 24-8, 12-4 | 2129 | 66.5 |
| Scoring Defense | W-L | Pts | Avg/G |
| Texas Tech | 21-13, 7-13 | 2028 | 59.6 |
| San Diego | 24-8, 12-4 | 1802 | 56.3 |
| Scoring Margin | Off | Def | Margin |
| Texas Tech | 67.5 | 59.6 | +7.9 |
| San Diego | 66.5 | 56.3 | +10.2 |
| Free Throw % | FT Made | FT Attempts | Pct. |
| Texas Tech | 506 | 751 | 0.674 |
| San Diego | 438 | 610 | 0.718 |
| Field Goal % | FG | FG A | Pct. |
| Texas Tech | 809 | 2072 | 0.39 |
| San Diego | 794 | 1897 | 0.419 |
| Field Goal % Defense | FG | FGA | Pct. |
| Texas Tech | 730 | 1890 | 0.386 |
| San Diego | 645 | 1842 | 0.35 |
| 3-Point FG % | FG | FGA | Pct. |
| Texas Tech | 171 | 542 | 0.315 |
| San Diego | 103 | 332 | 0.31 |
| 3-Point FG % Defense | FG | FGA | Pct. |
| Texas Tech | 147 | 514 | 0.286 |
| San Diego | 143 | 501 | 0.285 |
| Rebounding Offense | Reb | Avg/G | |
| Texas Tech | 1416 | 41.6 | |
| San Diego | 1316 | 41.1 | |
| Rebounding Defense | Reb | Avg/G | |
| Texas Tech | 1214 | 35.7 | |
| San Diego | 1170 | 36.6 | |
| Blocked Shots | Blocks | Avg/G | |
| Texas Tech | 131 | 3.9 | |
| San Diego | 112 | 3.5 | |
| Assists | No. | Avg/G | |
| Texas Tech | 430 | 12.6 | |
| San Diego | 357 | 11.2 | |
| Steals | No. | Avg/G | |
| Texas Tech | 358 | 10.5 | |
| San Diego | 286 | 8.9 |