Feb. 8, 2010

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Game 23 vs. #13/10 Texas A&M • February 10, 2010
United Spirit Arena • Lubbock, Texas • 7 p.m.

The Game
Texas Tech (13-9/1-7) plays its seventh-straight top 25 team as hosts No. 13/10 Texas A&M on Wed., Feb. 10, at 7 p.m., at United Spirit Arena. It is the 69th meeting between the two schools.

On the Air
The game can be heard on the radio on the Texas Tech Sports Network as Steve Strain (play-by-play) and Crystal Boles (color analyst) call the game. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.texastech.com through RaiderVision All-Access. Live stats are available through gametracker at www.texastech.com.

The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 13-9 overall and 1-7 in the Big 12 after losing at then No. 17/23 Texas, 81-51, on Sunday. On the year, sophomore Kierra Mallard paces the Lady Raiders in scoring with a 12.6 average followed by senior Ashlee Roberson at 12.2 and senior Jordan Murphree at 12.1. Roberson is the top rebounder, grabbing 8.8 boards per contest and Mallard is averaging 7.1 rebounds. Roberson is shooting 45.1 percent from the field, while freshman Mary Bokenkamp is shooting 39.4 percent from the three-point arc and senior Tilmila Martin is shooting 84.4 percent from the free throw line. Freshman Monique Smalls has a team-high 86 assists. Murphree leads the team in steals with 49. Mallard is the top shot blocker with 47 blocks. Tech is shooting 41.3 percent from the field, 30.7 percent from the three-point range and 66.1 percent from the charity stripe.

The Opponent
No. 13/10 Texas A&M enters the game with a 16-5 overall record and 4-4 in the Big 12 after losing at No. 4/4 Nebraska, 71-60, last Saturday. In that game, junior Danielle Adams scored 18 points and sophomore Tyra White added 15. White grabbed eight rebounds and senior Tanisha Smith and junior Sydney Colson both collected three assists. Smith and White both tallied two steals, while Adams and senior Damitria Buchanan both had two blocks. On the year, Adams leads the Aggies in scoring with a 16.2 average followed by Smith at 15.1 and White at 11.1. Adams is the top rebounder, averaging 5.7 rebounds per outing. Colson has a team-high 92 assists and Smith leads the team in steals with 49. Adams is the top shot blocker with 30 blocks. Texas A&M is shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three-point range and 68.6 percent from the free throw line.

The Series
Texas Tech and Texas A&M are meeting for the 69th time in the series. The Lady Raiders own a 53-15 advantage over the Aggies. The Aggies won the first game this year, 69-54, on Jan. 23, in College Station. Last year, Tech snapped a six-game losing streak against the Aggies by defeating them, 60-53, on Feb. 11, in Lubbock. The Lady Raiders are 27-3 against Texas A&M in Lubbock.

The Coaches
Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry is in her fourth season at the helm of the Lady Raiders. Curry has compiled a record of 61-56 at Tech and a career record of 240-107 in 11 years. Gary Blair is in his seventh year as head coach at Texas A&M with a record of 145-71. He is also in his 25th year as a head coach with a career record of 553-234.

Last Time vs. Texas A&M
January 23 - (AP) - Danielle Adams had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks to lead No. 9 Texas A&M to a 69-54 win over Texas Tech. Adams is the 13th player in Big 12 history to record a triple-double and the second at Texas A&M. Her 10 blocks are a school record and her performance came in her first start in a conference game. The win puts the Aggies back on track after last week's defeat at No. 13 Oklahoma and is Texas Tech's second straight loss. Texas A&M jumped out to an early lead and never trailed in this one. Texas Tech its deficit to seven points several times in the second half, but couldn't get any closer. The last time Texas Tech got within seven, A&M went on a 10-3 run to push the lead to 65-51 and put the game out of reach with less than four minutes remaining. The Lady Raiders didn't have an answer for the 6-foot-1 Adams on Saturday and last year's junior college player of the year was simply too strong for Texas Tech to contend with. One of her blocks came after she hustled to her feet after being knocked to the ground by a Lady Raider seconds earlier and she also had a pair of steals. Tanisha Smith added 13 points for A&M and Tyra White added 11. The Aggies fought off several comeback attempts by Texas Tech. The Lady Raiders closed the gap to seven points with about 12 minutes remaining before Texas A&M went on a five-point run capped by a steal and 3-point play by Adams that made it 52-40. Texas Tech's Jordan Murphree, who entered the game averaging 13 points, had four fouls by halftime and finished with no points. Kierra Mallard had nine points and 11 rebounds for the Lady Raiders and Tilmila Martin had eight points. The Aggies jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Texas Tech finally got going and score five straight points. The Lady Raiders cut the lead to 20-16 after four straight free throws with about eight minutes remaining in the first half. Texas A&M responded with eight straight points to extend its lead and was up 37-28 at halftime.

The Last Time Out
February 7 - (AP) - Brittainey Raven scored a game-high 22 points to help No. 17 Texas defeat Texas Tech 81-51. Raven hit four 3-pointers as the Longhorns shot 50 percent from behind the arc. Kat Nash and Cokie Reed each scored 13 points for Texas. The last time these two teams met, Texas was forced into double overtime by the Lady Raiders and narrowly escaped with a 95-90 win. This time, the Longhorns wouldn't let that happen. Ashlee Roberson had a double-double for the Lady Raiders finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Nash helped spark Texas after the half, scoring eight points in the first eight minutes. Raven continued to cut through Texas Tech's interior defense as the Longhorns jump out to a 67-45 lead on a fastbreak lay-up with just over five minutes left in the game to seal the win. Texas Tech jumped out to a 17-14 lead on a fastbreak layup by Christine Hyde with just over 10 minutes in the first half. The advantage was short-lived as the Longhorns went on a 19-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 33-19 lead. Roberson scored eight consecutive points for the Lady Raiders to close the gap. Raven led Texas with 13 points in the first half and hit a 3-pointer from the wing as time expired to give the Longhorns a 43-32 advantage at the break.

A Look Ahead
The Lady Raiders go back on the road for two-consecutive games - at Oklahoma State on Sat., Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. at Baylor on Wed., Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. Tech faces Kansas on Sun., Feb. 21, at 5 p.m. on ESPNU and plays at Kansas State on Wed., Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. on FSNKC. The last two home games will be against Oklahoma State on Sun., Feb. 28, at 12 p.m. on FSN and Wed., March 3, versus Baylor at 7 p.m. Tech wraps up regular-season play at Missouri on Sun., March 7, at 1 p.m.

NCAA Stats
As of games through Feb. 7, sophomore Kierra Mallard ranks 27th in blocked shots per game at 2.2, senior Tilmila Martin ranks 43rd in free throw percentage at 84.4 and freshman Monique Smalls is 49th in assist/turnover ratio at 1.72, among all NCAA Division I players. As a team, Texas Tech ranks 26th in steals per game at 11.0, among all NCAA Division I teams.

Top 25 Teams
The Lady Raiders have played eight games against top 25 teams, including three top 10 teams, this year and will play its ninth game against a top 25 team on Wednesday against No. 13/10 Texas A&M. It will be the seventh-straight game against a top 25 opponent.

Murphree Reaches 1,000 Points
Senior Jordan Murphree reached the 1,000th-career point plateau at UCLA with her third basket of the game, a three-pointer. Murphree finished with a then season-high 22 points. She now has 1,155 career points, which ranks 17th all-time at Texas Tech.

Cracking the Top 10
Senior Jordan Murphree collected one steal at Texas A&M to crack the top 10 on Texas Tech's career steals list. Murphree currently has 183 steals in her career, which stands 10th all-time. Standing in ninth is Gwen McCray (1980-83) with 190. Katrisa O'Neal (1997-01) holds the school record for steals with 352.

First Team Academic All-District
Senior Jordan Murphree was named CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI first team. Murphree graduated cum laude in just three years with a degree in exercise and sport science. She has a 3.60 GPA and is working on a second degree in human development and family studies. This is her first time to be selected to the first team as she has twice been named to the second team.

Brown Returns to Starting Lineup
Freshman Chynna Brown returned to the starting lineup in both games last week, at Iowa State and at Texas. She started the first two games of the season before coming off the bench the next 18 contests. At Texas, she scored eight points in the first half before being sidelined with an injury.

Seventh Double-Double for Roberson
Senior Ashlee Roberson recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Texas Tech's game at then No. 17/23 Texas. It was also the 10th of her career.

Smalls Snatches the Ball
Freshman Monique Smalls tied her career high of six steals at No. 22/18 Iowa State. She also had six steals against Prairie View A&M back in November.

Smalls Ties Career-High Points
Freshman point guard Monique Smalls scored 11 points against then No. 11/12 Oklahoma, which tied her career high. Smalls also had 11 points against North Dakota back in December.

Murphree Has Another 20-Point Game
For the fifth time this season and the second in four games, senior Jordan Murphree had a 20-plus point effort as she poured in 28 points against then No. 11/12 Oklahoma. She was just one point of tying her career high of 29 points, which she had three games earlier against then No. 19/21 Texas.

Hyde Has Career-High Output
Freshman Christine Hyde came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points in a career-high 21 minutes of play against No. 6/4 Nebraska. Hyde broke her previous scoring high of nine points which she had against Texas-Arlington in November.

Second-Straight 20-Point Effort
Senior Ashlee Roberson poured in 22 points at then No. 9/9 Texas A&M. It marked her second-straight game of 20-plus points after scoring 29 against Texas. It was her third game this season to score 20 or more points.

Murphree, Roberson Score Career Highs Against Horns
Seniors Jordan Murphree and Ashlee Roberson both scored a career-high 29 points in Texas Tech's double overtime loss to then No. 19/21 Texas. Murphree also collected a career-high 13 rebounds and tied a career-high eight assists. It was her second double-double of her career.

Block Buster II
Sophomore Kierra Mallard tied her career high of six blocks against the Longhorns. She also had six blocks against Texas-Arlington earlier this season.

Smalls Grabs Big
Freshman point guard Monique Smalls got her first double-digit rebounding effort as she pulled down a career-high 10 boards against Colorado. Her previous career high was seven against Mercer in December.

School Record Set for Fewest Turnovers
After committing season highs of 28 and 27 turnovers in back-to-back games, the Lady Raiders went on to set a new school record for fewest turnovers in a game when they had just two against Savannah State. It broke the old school record of five which occurred twice - against Texas A&M in 1983 and UTSA in 2003.

Big Day for Brown
Freshman Chynna Brown came off the bench to score a career-high 13 points and grab a career-high four rebounds in just 14 minutes of play against Savannah State. Her previous career high was six points.

Mallard, Roberson Both Get Another Double-Double
For the second time in three games, sophomore Kierra Mallard and senior Ashlee Roberson both recorded double-doubles in a game as they did so at Tulane. Mallard had 15 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, while Roberson finished with 13 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. It was Mallard's fourth double-double of the season and the fifth for Roberson. Both were named to the Tulane DoubleTree Classic All-Tournament Team.

Martin Pours in Career High
Senior Tilmila Martin poured in a career-high 20 points against North Dakota. Martin was a perfect 100 percent from the field (5-5), including 2-2 from the three-point arc, and from the free throw line (8-8).

Fifty Percent from the Field for the Third Time
For the third time this season and the first time since Nov. 22, Texas Tech shot 50 percent or better from the field as it shot 53.1 percent against North Dakota. The Lady Raiders were 26-of-49 from the field against the Fighting Sioux. Tech's season-best field goal percentage was 53.7 versus Sam Houston State in the season opener, while also shooting 50 percent against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 22).

wo with Double-Doubles
Senior Ashlee Roberson and sophomore Kierra Mallard both recorded double-doubles in the win over Mercer, marking the first time two Lady Raiders had a double-double in the same game since beating Lamar last year on Nov. 21, 2008. Roberson had 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Mallard finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Murphree Racking Up the Steals
Senior Jordan Murphree tallied a career-high seven steals at UCLA, breaking her old career high of five which she had on three occasions. She currently leads the team in steals with 49, averaging 2.2 per game. The Lady Raiders currently lead all Big 12 schools in steals per game at 11.0.

Mallard Pours in Career High
Sophomore Kierra Mallard poured in a career-high 25 points against Texas State, breaking her previous high of 23 points which she had against Savannah State last season. It was the first time in her career to turn in back-to-back games of 20 or more points as she had 21 against Prairie View A&M in the game prior.

Freshmen in the Backcourt
Freshmen Monique Smalls and Chynna Brown got the start in the backcourt in their first collegiate game. Smalls started at the one, while Brown got the nod at the two. It marked the first time two freshmen had started in the backcourt in their first collegiate game since Julie Lake and Rene Hanebutt did so against Kent State on Nov. 24, 1995, at the Coors/Rocky Mountain Invitational at Colorado State.

Team Captains
In a vote by their teammates, seniors Jordan Murphree and Ashlee Roberson and freshman Lindie Kimbro were selected team captains for the 2009-10 season.

Coaches Have Ties
Head coach Kristy Curry has put together a staff that is very familiar with each other. Curry has ties with all of her three assistant coaches with the first being her husband, Kelly Curry. Kelly has been on both of Kristy's staffs as a assistant coach at Purdue and Texas Tech, while Brooke Stoehr and Shereka Wright were both players for Kristy and Kelly. Stoehr, the former Brooke Lassiter was a guard at Louisiana Tech from 1998-2002 and played one season for Kristy and Kelly when they were both assistant coaches for the Lady Techsters. That year, 1999, Louisiana Tech advanced to the NCAA Final Four. In the spring of 1999, Kristy became the head coach at Purdue and in the fall of 1999 she signed Wright to attend Purdue. Wright helped lead Purdue to the 2001 National Championship game and was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team.

Murphree and Wright Connection
Assistant coach Shereka Wright and senior Jordan Murphree may have several things in common but one thing for sure is that both had the same high school coach, Skip Townsend. Townsend coached Wright at Copperas Cove High School and Murphree at Brock High School.

Elite Team
Freshman Mary Bokenkamp was one of seven players from her high school team, Regis Jesuit, last year to sign with a Division I school. The six other players signed with Gonzaga (Meghan Winters), Montana State (Kelsey Roben), Pepperdine (Keyah Shealy), Santa Clara (Ruta Zurauskyte), UCLA (Mariah Williams) and Utah (Diana Rolniak).

International Flair
Freshman Christine Hyde is just the second international player to don a Lady Raider uniform. Hyde comes to the South Plains from Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The first international player for the Lady Raiders was Patrice Edwards (2004-07) from Trinidad-Tobago.

Degree in Hand
In May 2009, senior Jordan Murphree graduated cum laude in just three years. The Brock, Texas, native received her bachelor's degree in exercise and sport sciences and is currently working on a second degree in human development and family studies. Seniors Ashlee Roberson and Tilmila Martin both graduated in December with degrees in human development and family studies.

On the Tube
Texas Tech will have 12 regular-season games televised this season. The Lady Raiders will appear on ESPNU three times, FSN twice, FSN Kansas City (FSNKC) once and the Texas Tech Sports Network (TTSN) six times. Tech will play Tennessee (L, 53-91), at Texas (L, 51-81) and Kansas (Feb. 21) on ESPNU. The Lady Raiders' games on FSN include Texas (L2OT, 90-95) and Oklahoma State (Feb. 28). Tech's game at Kansas State (Feb. 24) will be on FSNKC. The six games on TTSN are Arkansas-Pine Bluff (W, 97-57), Savannah State (W, 69-40), at Oklahoma (L, 58-73), Colorado (W, 74-61), Nebraska (L, 47-89) and Oklahoma (L, 66-70).

Follow the Lady Raiders
All Lady Raider basketball games can be heard live on the Texas Tech Sports Network. TTSN has put together a seven-station network that offers coverage through the state of Texas and in parts of New Mexico. KJTV/KLZK-Lubbock serve as the network flagship stations. Listen to play-by-play by Steve Strain as he takes the court with the Lady Raiders. The following radio stations will air the Lady Raider basketball games this season:
Abilene/Haskell - KVRP 97.1 FM
Hereford - KPAN 106.3 FM
Hobbs, NM - KHOB 1390 AM
Lamesa - KPET 690 AM
Lubbock - KJTV 950 AM
Lubbock - KLZK 97.3 FM
Plainview - KVOP 1090 AM

Lady Raider Basketball with Kristy Curry
Kristy Curry's weekly television show, Lady Raider Basketball with Kristy Curry, is televised every Sunday throughout the rest of the season. The show will air on FOX34 at 10 p.m. and My Lubbock TV at 10:30 p.m.

The Kristy Curry Radio Show
The Kristy Curry Radio Show is held each Monday from 6-7 p.m., at Ruby Tequila's on north University Ave. across from campus. The show will air on Double T 104.3 (KTTU FM) locally.

Signed, Sealed and Delivered
The Lady Raiders inked four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. This year's class consists of 6-0 forward Kelsi Baker (Mesquite, Texas/John Horn), who is the 12th-ranked power forward and No. 71 overall player by ESPN HoopGurlz, 5-10 guard Antiesha Brown (Clovis, N.M./Clovis), 6-5 center Haley Schneider (Lubbock, Texas/Monterey) and 6-2 forward Ebony Walker (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia), who is the 25th-ranked power forward by ESPN HoopGurlz.