Feb. 2, 2006

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Texas Tech (10-9/5-3) vs. Texas A&M (16-5/5-3)
February 5, 2006 • Reed Arena (12,500) • College Station, Texas • 3 p.m. • FSN

The Game
Texas Tech (10-9/5-3) plays at Texas A&M (16-5/5-3) on Sun., Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. It is the 61st meeting between the two schools.

On the Air
The game is being televised on FSN with play-by-play by Kevin Eschenfelder and Brenda VanLengen as color analyst. The game can be heard on the radio on the Texas Tech Sports Network as Ryan Hyatt (play-by-play) and Stephanie Gerber (color analyst) call the game.

The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 10-9 on the year and 5-3 in the Big 12 after beating Texas, 84-63, last Wednesday. On the year, senior LaToya Davis leads the team in scoring at 19.8 points per game followed by senior Erin Grant at 12.2 and junior Alesha Robertson at 12.1. Davis is also the top rebounder, grabbing 10.9 boards per outing, while Robertson is averaging 6.9 rebounds. Davis is shooting a team-high 59.2 percent from the field and Grant is shooting 38.5 percent from behind the three-point arc and 77.8 percent from the free throw line. Grant has a team-high 123 assists and Davis leads the team in steals with 21. Sophomore Erin Myrick is the top shot blocker with 19 blocks. The Lady Raiders are shooting 41.8 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three-point range and 64.5 percent from the charity stripe.

Scouting the Opponent
Texas A&M enters the game with a 16-5 overall record and is 5-3 in the Big 12 after losing to Oklahoma, 81-72, in College Station Jan. 28. In that game, sophomore A'Quonesia Franklin scored a game-high 20 points, while freshman Takia Starks had 19 and sophomore Patrice Reado added 11. Freshman Danielle Gant grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and Franklin had game highs of 10 assists and three steals.

On the year, sophomore Morenike Atunrase paces the Aggies in scoring with a 12.5 average followed by Starks at 12.2. Gant is the top rebounder, averaging 5.4 boards per contest. Franklin has a team-high 93 assists and Reado leads the team in steals with 42. Atunrase is the top shot blocker with 37 blocks.

Gary Blair is in his third year at the helm of the Aggies establishing a record of 41-39. He is also in his 21st year as a head coach with a career record of 449-204.

Series Record
It is the 61st meeting between Texas Tech and Texas A&M with the Lady Raiders owning a 52-8 record against the Aggies. Tech has won the last 19 games in the series, including the first game this year, 56-55, in Lubbock Jan. 7. Last year, Tech won both games: 67-54, Jan. 30, in College Station and 56-53, Feb. 19, in Lubbock. The Aggies' last victory was a 72-68 triumph March 9, 1996, in the championship game of the Southwest Conference Tournament at Reunion Arena in Dallas. Tech is 21-3 against the Aggies in College Station, including nine-straight wins. The Aggies' last win in College Station was Feb. 8, 1995, in a 78-73 victory.

Last Time vs. Texas A&M
Jan. 7, 2006 (AP) - LaToya Davis notched her eighth double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Texas Tech held on for a 56-55 win over Texas A&M.

The loss snapped a 10-game win streak for the Aggies, the second longest in school history.

Tech lead by as much as 11 points midway in the second half before the Aggies used a 8-2 run to pull within 54-52 with 2:38 remaining.

Alesha Robertson sealed the win with two free throws with 5.8 seconds remaining to put the Lady Raiders up 56-52. A'Quonesia Franklin hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer that left the Aggies one point shy of pushing it into overtime.

The win for Tech wasn't always pretty. Tech had a season-high 22 turnovers and A&M took advantage, scoring 17 points off of them. The Aggies took the ball away from Tech another 13 times.

The difference came at the free throw line, where Tech was perfect _ 13-of-13 _ until Davis missed one with 2:22 remaining. The Lady Raiders finished 15 of 18.

Erin Grant scored 13 points and LaVonda Henderson added nine for Tech, which hasn't started a season 6-7 since the 1987-88 season.

Takia Starks scored 14 points, and Danielle Gant and Morenike Atunrase each added nine.

The loss was the 25th straight for the Aggies in Lubbock.

Last Time Out
(AP) - LaToya Davis scored 23 points to lead five Texas Tech starters in double figures as the Lady Raiders defeated Texas 84-63 Wednesday night.

It was only the second time this season all five starters scored in double figures for Tech. The win was the most one-sided victory for Tech against Texas since February 2000 when the Lady Raiders won 73-44 in Lubbock.

Davis and Erin Grant each had double-doubles for Tech (10-9, 5-3 Big 12). David had 11 rebounds to go with her 23 points and Grant had 10 points and 11 assists.

Alesha Robertson had 21 points. Brooke Baughman added a career-high 16 points and Erin Myrick scored 12.

Tech used second-half runs of 15-5 and 9-0 to pull away 66-43 with 9:40 left in the game.

Tiffany Jackson had a double-double for Texas (11-8, 5-4) with 19 points and 12 rebounds and was the only Longhorn to score in double digits.

The Longhorns shot 21-for-53 from the field (40 percent) while the Lady Raiders connected on 29-for-57 ( 51 percent).

Tech also had 20 assists to Texas' nine.

Early in the first half, the Lady Raiders took advantage of a four-minute scoring drought by the Longhorns to go on a 12-0 run and take a 12-2 lead with more than 15 minutes remaining in the half.

Texas Tech then went more than five minutes without a field goal later in the first half, but Texas couldn't shave Tech's lead to less than five points. The Lady Raiders led 35-26 at the half.

A Look Ahead
Texas Tech hosts two-straight home games against Oklahoma State Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. and Colorado Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. The Colorado game will be televised on the Texas Tech Television Network. Tech will take to the road for games at Iowa State Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. and at Baylor Feb. 19, at 2 p.m. on FSN. The Lady Raiders host Kansas Feb. 22, at 7 p.m., play at Texas Feb. 26, at 3 p.m. on ESPN2 and round out the regular season by hosting Oklahoma March 1, at 7 p.m.

NCAA Stats
As of games through Jan. 30, Texas Tech ranks 14th in turnovers per game at 13.8, among all NCAA Division I teams. Senior LaToya Davis ranks 14th in field goal percentage at 58.9 percent, 15th in rebounds per game at 10.9 and 19th in points per game at 19.6, and senior Erin Grant ranks 10th in assists per game at 6.2, among all NCAA Division I players.

Senior CLASS Finalists
Seniors LaToya Davis and Erin Grant have been named two of the 30 finalists for the 2006 Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to the nation's senior player of the year. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season in response to the trend of college basketball players leaving college early to turn professional. A national media committee will select 10 finalists in February.

Grant Becomes Big 12 Leader in Career Assists
Senior Erin Grant dished out seven assists at Oklahoma State, which allowed her to become the Big 12 Conference's all-time career leader in assists, which she currently has 784 career assists. Grant broke the old record of 764, set by Oklahoma's Stacey Dales (1998-2002).

Seeing Double
For the second time this season, all five starters scored in double figures for Tech in the win over Texas. Senior LaToya Davis led the way with 23 points followed by junior Alesha Robertson with 21, junior Brooke Baughman with 16, sophomore Erin Myrick with 12 and senior Erin Grant with 10. The Lady Raiders also had all five starters (Davis, Robertson, Myrick, Henderson, Grant) score in double figures against Oral Roberts on Dec. 15.

Baughman Has Big Night
Junior Brooke Baughman had a big night against the Longhorns as she poured in a career-high 16 points and hit a career-high four three-pointers in the win.

Twelfth Double-Double for Davis
Senior LaToya Davis had her 12th double-double of the year and the 22nd of her career as she finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds against Texas.

Second Double-Double for Grant
Senior Erin Grant had her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds versus Texas. It was the fourth time this year she has had 10 or more assists and the 21st of her career. The 11 assists tied her season high.

Robertson Reaches 1,000th-Point Mark
Junior Alesha Robertson scored 16 points at Missouri to crack the 1,000th-point mark. She currently has 1,028 points in her career, which ranks 23rd all-time at Tech. Robertson stands seventh all-time in three-point field goal attempts (335) and is tied for seventh in three-point field goals made (124).

Career-High Rebounds for Myrick
Sophomore Erin Myrick collected a career-high nine rebounds at Missouri. Her previous career high was eight at Rice earlier this season.

Robertson Grabs Career-High Boards
Junior Alesha Robertson grabbed a career-high 13 boards at Oklahoma State. Robertson's previous career high was 11 on three occasions.

Davis Collects 11th Double-Double
Senior LaToya Davis registered her 11th double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds at Oklahoma State.

First Road Win
Texas Tech got its first road win of the season in a 61-51 victory at Oklahoma State. Tech's only other win away from Lubbock was a neutral site game against Louisville in the Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico.

First Time Above 500, Again
The win over Texas gave Tech a 10-9 record (.526), marking its second time this season with a record above .500. Tech was 9-8 after winning at Oklahoma State Jan. 25. Three times the Lady Raiders have been .500, at 7-7, 8-8, 9-9.

First Win in Red Uniforms
Texas Tech got its first win of the year in its red uniforms with the victory at Oklahoma State. In Tech's neutral site win over Louisville, the Lady Raiders were the home team and wore their white unis. This is the first season Tech has worn red on the road since the 2000-01 season.

Sharp the Best in the Big 12
Texas Tech head coach Marsha Sharp had produced the most wins of any coach in Big 12 play. Sharp has led the Lady Raiders to a Big 12-leading 114 conference wins since 1997.

Tenth Double-Double for Davis
Senior LaToya Davis had her 10th double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds against Nebraska.

Grant Dishes Out Double-Digit Assists
For the third time this season, senior Erin Grant had double-digit assists as she dished out 10 assists against Nebraska. She currently has four double-digit assists games this year.

Third Double-Double for Robertson
Junior Alesha Robertson recorded her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds at Oklahoma.

Lady Raiders Swat Season High
As a team, Texas Tech swatted a season-high seven blocks at Oklahoma on Wednesday. Junior Alesha Robertson and sophomore Erin Myrick led the way with two blocks apiece, while senior LaToya Davis, senior Erin Grant and sophomore Darrice Griffin each had one block.

First Top 25 Win
Texas Tech's 64-62 win over No. 5/5 Baylor was the first victory against a team ranked in the Top 25 this season. Tech was 0-2 against teams in the Top 25, which included losses to No. 3/3 LSU and No. 15/13 Stanford.

First Win on Sunday and Wednesday
The win against Baylor marked the Lady Raiders' first win on a Sunday. Tech was 0-3 on Sundays entering the game against the Lady Bears as it had lost to LSU, Stanford and Penn State all on Sunday. Tech got its first win on a Wednesday at Oklahoma State. The Lady Raiders were 0-3 on Wednesday until beating the Cowgirls in Stillwater.

Davis Registers Ninth Double-Double
Senior LaToya Davis registered her ninth double-double of the season as she had 11 points and tied her season-high 15 rebounds against Baylor.

Robertson Scores Season High
Junior Alesha Robertson scored a season-high 22 points and tallied 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season in the win over Baylor.

Myrick Chips in 10 in Win
Sophomore Erin Myrick chipped in 10 points in the win against Baylor. She also picked up six rebounds.

Eighth Double-Double for Davis
Senior LaToya Davis collected her eighth double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Texas A&M Jan. 7.

Season-High Boards for Davis
Senior LaToya Davis grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds at Kansas State just one rebound shy of her career-high 16.

Davis Gets Seventh Double-Double of Year
Senior LaToya Davis turned in her seventh double-double of the season with 27 points and 11 rebounds against Fresno State.

Robertson Registers First Double-Double of 05-06
Junior Alesha Robertson had her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds against Fresno State.

Davis Reaches 1,000-Point Plateau
Senior LaToya Davis reached the 1,000th-career point plateau in the game against Fresno State. Davis currently has 1,144 points in her career, which ranks 15th on Tech's career scoring list.

More Double-Doubles for Davis
Senior LaToya Davis registered her fifth and sixth double-doubles of the season as she had 24 points and 13 rebounds against Louisville, and 16 points and 12 rebounds versus Virginia Tech in the Caribbean Classic. In the Caribbean Classic, Davis averaged 20 points and 12.5 rebounds, both tournament highs.

Davis Named Big 12 Player of the Week
Senior LaToya Davis was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 19 for her performance the week of Dec. 12-18. Davis poured in a career-high 33 points in Texas Tech's 99-58 win over Oral Roberts in the Lady Raiders' lone contest that week. Davis scored 25 of her points in the first half. The Houston, Texas, native shot 81.3 percent from the field, hitting 13-of-16 shots. Davis was also 7-of-10 from the free throw line for 70 percent. She added eight rebounds and a steal in the 41-point victory in 25 minutes of action.

Biggest Win of the Season
Texas Tech got its biggest win of the season in a 41-point victory as it beat Oral Roberts 99-58 Dec. 15.

Davis Keeps on Going
Senior LaToya Davis scored a career-high 33 points in just 25 minutes of play against ORU, including 25 first-half points. Her previous career high was 26 on two occasions.

Grant Pours in Career High Points
Senior Erin Grant poured in a career-high 28 points in Tech's double overtime loss to Penn State. Her previous high was 27 against Kansas in 2004. She also hit a season-high two three-pointers against the Lady Lions.

Davis Sets Tip-Off Classic Record
Senior LaToya Davis set a new State Farm Women's Tip-Off Classic record for field goal percentage as she was 10-for-13 for 76.9 percent against LSU. The old mark was 72.8 percent held by three players.

Home Sweet Home
Texas Tech has won 96 of its 106 games it has played at the United Spirit Arena for a .906 winning percentage. In the Sharp era, the Lady Raiders have won 285 of their 329 home contests (.866 percent). Tech has produced five perfect seasons at home 1999-00 (16-0), 1998-99 (14-0), 1995-96 (16-0), 1992-93 (15-0) and 1991-92 (11-0).

Diploma in Hand
Senior Erin Grant is not only a standout on the court, but also in the classroom. Grant graduated from Texas Tech last May with degrees in marketing and general business in just three years. She is currently working on her MBA.

Winning Percentage By Class
The senior class is 88-31 (.739) mark and 40-16 (.714) in the conference. The junior class posts a record of 59-25 (.702) and 27-13 (.675). The sophomore class is 34-17 (.667) and 17-7 (.708) in the league, while the freshmen are 10-9 (.526) and 5-3 (.625) in the Big 12.

Sister Act
The Lady Raiders welcome their first pair of sisters to their roster this season in sophomore Darrice Griffin and freshman Teddy Griffin. They are also the first second generation players to play for head coach Marsha Sharp. The Griffins' mother, Tami Wilson, played for Texas Tech in 1990-92.

On the Tube
Texas Tech will have 17 regular-season games televised this season. Tech will appear on ESPN2 three times: LSU (L, 68-76), at Penn State (L 2OT, 72-78) and at Texas Feb. 26; and on ESPNU once: Texas (W, 84-63). The Lady Raiders will play on FSN six times: Stanford (L, 63-66), (W, 64-62), Nebraska (W, 61-59), at Missouri (L, 51-65), at Texas A&M Feb. 5 and at Baylor Feb. 19. Tech played on FSN Midwest at Kansas State (L, 51-53). The Texas Tech Television Network will air the following games: Sac State (W, 63-53), Oral Roberts (W, 99-58), Texas A&M (W, 56-55), Colorado Feb. 11 and Oklahoma March 1. Tech's game at Oklahoma (L, 63-57) aired on the Sooner Sports Network and broadcast back to Lubbock.

ESPN Experts Like Grant
ESPN.com grilled its panel of experts - bracket Charlie Creme, columnist Mechelle Voepel and ESPN's Nancy Lieberman and Beth Mowins on their picks for the 2005-06 season. Texas Tech's Erin Grant was picked the best passer in the country by Creme, Lieberman and Voepel, while Voepel chose Grant as the best ball handler in the nation. Creme and Lieberman also picked the Lady Raiders to win the Big 12 Championship.

Follow the Lady Raiders
All Lady Raider basketball games can be heard live on the Texas Tech Sports Network on KFYO-AM 790 and KKCL-FM 98.1 locally. Listen to play-by-play by Ryan Hyatt as he takes the court with the Lady Raiders. The following radio stations will air the Lady Raider basketball games this season:
Amarillo - KIXZ-AM (940)
Haskell - KVRP-FM (97.1)
Hereford - KPAN-AM/FM (860/106.3)
Lamesa - KPET-AM (690)
Lubbock - KFYO-AM/KKCL-FM (790/98.1)
Midland - KMMD/KRIL-AM (1510/1410)
Plainview - KVOP-AM (1090)

Lady Raider Basketball with Marsha Sharp
Marsha Sharp's weekly television show, Lady Raider Basketball with Marsha Sharp, is televised every Sunday on FOX34 at 10 p.m. and UPN Lubbock at 10:30 p.m.

The Marsha Sharp Radio Show
The Marsha Sharp Radio Show is held each Monday starting from 6-7 p.m. at the south end meeting rooms at the United Spirit Arena. The shows on Feb. 6 and Feb. 20 will be on the press level of the West Side Stadium Building.The show will air on KFYO-AM 790 and KKCL-FM 98.1 locally.

Lady Raiders Ink Two to National Letters of Intent
Texas Tech signed two standout student-athletes to National Letters of Intent: Raquel Christian (Midland, Texas) and Jordan Murphree (Brock, Texas). Christian is a 5-7 guard from Midland High School and Murphree is a 5-11 guard from Brock High School.

Lubbock - The Place to Live
The first-ever Coldwell Banker® College Market Home Price Comparison Index (HPCI) found that fans and alumni of Texas Tech should stand and cheer. Lubbock, Texas, ranks as the most affordable college town in the study, with an average home price of $164,133. The College Market HPCI evaluated average home values for a single-family dwelling in a middle-management community measuring approximately 2,200 square feet with four bedrooms, two and one-half baths, a family room (or equivalent) and two-car garage. The snapshot study examined 59 markets that are home to the premier college football programs in the country. Palo Alto, Calif., home of Stanford, topped the charts as the most expensive college town in the index at $1,550,000.