March 3, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Texas Tech (16-13/4-11) vs. Texas (18-11/6-9)
March 5, 2008 • Frank Erwin Center (16,755)
Austin, Texas • 7 p.m. • FSNSW

The Game
Texas Tech (16-13/4-11) concludes the regular season at Texas (18-11/6-9) on Wed., March 5, at 7 p.m. at the Frank Erwin Center. The Lady Raiders and the Longhorns are meeting for the second time this season and the 78th time in the series.

On the Air
The game is being televised on FSNSW with play-by-play by Carter Blackburn and Brenda VanLengen as the color analyst. The game can be heard on the radio on the Texas Tech Sports Network as Ryan Hyatt calls the game. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.texastech.com through RaiderVision All-Access.

The Lady Raiders
Texas Tech is 16-13 on the year and 4-11 in the Big 12 after losing at then No. 17/19 Oklahoma State, 73-54, last Saturday in Stillwater. On the year, junior Dominic Seals paces the Lady Raiders in scoring with a 13.8 average followed by senior Erin Myrick and sophomore Jordan Murphree at 9.7 points apiece. Seals is the top rebounder, grabbing 8.5 boards per outing and Myrick is averaging 5.7 rebounds. Myrick is shooting a team-high 50.9 percent from the field and Murphree is shooting 30.4 percent from three-point range. Seals is 72.3 percent from the free throw line. Junior Maria Moore has team highs of 109 assists and 46 steals. Seals is the top shot blocker with 39 blocks. Tech is shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from three-point range and 68.3 percent from the charity stripe.

Scouting the Opponent
Texas enters the game with an 18-11 overall record and 6-9 in the Big 12 after upsetting then No. 10/10 Oklahoma, 65-50, last Sunday in Norman. In that game, sophomore Brittainey Raven scored a team-high 16 points, while senior Erneisha Bailey added 14 and junior Carla Cortijo chipped in 12. Junior Ashley Lindsey led the Longhorns with nine rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Cortijo collected six assists.

On the year, Raven leads the Longhorns in scoring as she is averaging 15.4 points per game followed by Lindsey at 11.4. Lindsey is the top rebounder, averaging 6.9 boards per contest. Cortijo has team highs of 139 assists and 56 steals. Lindsey is the top shot blocker with 78 blocks. Texas is shooting 41.8 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from the three-point arc and 73.2 percent from the free throw line.

The Coaches
Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry is in her second year at the helm of the Lady Raider basketball program with a 31-29 record. Curry is in her ninth year as a head coach with a career record of 210-80.

Gail Goestenkors is in her first year as head coach of the Longhorns with a record of 18-11. She is also in her 16th year as a head coach with a career record of 414-110.

Series Record
Texas Tech and Texas are meeting for the 78th time in the series with the Longhorns holding a 53-24 advantage over the Lady Raiders. Tech won the first meeting this year, 70-58, on Jan. 20, in Lubbock. Last year, Tech defeated No. 24/24 Texas, 49-48, in Lubbock Jan. 27, while the Longhorns were victorious in Austin, 59-47, Feb. 24. The Lady Raiders have won four of the last five games and six of the last eight. Tech's last win in Austin was a 58-46 victory Feb. 20, 2006. Tech is 6-24 against Texas in Austin.

Last Time vs. Texas
Jan. 20, 2008 - (AP) Dominic Seals scored a career-high 27 points and got her eighth double-double of the season to lead Texas Tech to a 70-58 win over No. 24 Texas. After Texas Tech led by as many as 15 points early in the second half, Texas whittled the margin to 57-53 as Brittainey Raven hit a layup and a free throw with 2:59 remaining. Carla Cortijo stole the ball and her outlet pass found Raven under the basket. But LaVonda Henderson hit a field goal with 2:34 remaining and then hit two free throws on the next trip to put Tech up 61-54. Texas could get no closer. Seals hit on 11-of-16 shots and pulled down 14 rebounds. Texas Tech got the ball inside and it paid off. The Lady Raiders scored more than half their points (36) inside the lane. Texas shot well below its season average, hitting 21 of 62 shots (34 percent). The Longhorns came into the game averaging 43.8 percent. Ashlee Roberson matched her career highs with 13 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Raven and Ashley Lindsey each scored 15 points to lead Texas. In the first half with the game tied at 14, Texas Tech used an 11-2 run, including two buckets by Seals and a 3-pointer by Raquel Christian, to go up 25-16. The Longhorns went almost six minutes without a field goal. Tech had a 37-24 edge at the break.

Last Time Out
(AP) - Cowgirls' sophomore Andrea Riley scored 21 points to pass the 1,000-point plateau for her career and lead No. 17 Oklahoma State to a 73-54 win against Texas Tech on Saturday night.

Riley became only the second Cowgirls player to pass 1,000 points in her sophomore year, joining career scoring leader Clinette Jordan, and moved into a tie with Jennifer Crow for the second-most points in a season at Oklahoma State. Riley is 35 points shy of matching Jordan's season total of 668 points in the 1988-89 season.

Riley got Oklahoma State back on track after Texas Tech (16-13, 4-11 Big 12) rallied from a 10-point deficit to take the lead early in the second half. Her jumper put the Cowgirls ahead 40-39 and also sparked a 12-2 run that didn't end until her jumper in the lane made it 54-41 with 10:02 to play.

Texas Tech was never again closer than 10, and the lead reached 21 on Danielle Green's layup with 4:51 remaining. The Cowgirls eventually extended the lead to 22.

Danielle Green had 16 points and 14 rebounds and Shaunte Smith added 16 points and 12 rebounds as Oklahoma State (22-6, 10-5) overcame a season-high 21 turnovers by outrebounding the Lady Raiders 55-37.

Maddy Brown hit four 3-pointers and led Texas Tech with 16 points. Brown missed the first 13 games of the season with a broken left foot.

Jordan Murphree added 12 points and Dominic Seals, Tech's leading scorer, finished with nine points on 1-for-10 shooting.

Green and senior classmate Maria Cordero made early departures. Cordero got an ovation after fouling out with 2:31 remaining and Green got hers when Cowgirls coach Kurt Budke pulled her with 1:37 to play. The rest of Oklahoma State's starter played until the final buzzer.

After participating in senior day ceremonies before their final home game, Green and Cordero combined to score the first seven points of Oklahoma State's 10-0 run to open the game.

The Lady Raiders took their only lead at 39-38 when Brown hit her final 3-pointer to finish an 8-0 run with 14:55 left. Tech ended up with 23 turnovers.

A Look Ahead
Texas Tech travels to Kansas City, Mo., to play in the Big 12 Championship March 11-15.

Curry Captures 200th Career Win
Head coach Kristy Curry captured her 200th career win in the victory over Kennesaw State Nov. 23. Curry enters the game with a career record of 210-80.

NCAA Stats
As of games through March 2, Texas Tech ranks 49th in field goal percentage defense at 37.3 and 49th in rebound margin at 5.0 and, among all NCAA Division I teams.

Against the Top 25
Texas Tech is 2-9 against teams ranked in the top 25. The Lady Raiders got their first top 25 win of the season as they defeated then No. 18/19 Arizona State, 73-69, on Dec. 18. The Sun Devils were the first top 25 team Tech faced this season. Tech fell at then No. 25/21 Arkansas, 80-57, on Jan. 5, and lost to then No. 8/8 Baylor, 72-67, on Jan. 9. The Lady Raiders beat then No. 24/23 Texas, 70-58, on Jan. 20, before losing at then No. 11/11 Oklahoma, 78-39, on Jan. 23. Tech lost at home to then No. 23 Texas A&M, 63-46, on Feb. 2. The Lady Raiders fell at then No. 5/5 Baylor, 66-45, Feb. 9, and suffered a heart-breaking loss to then No. 15/15 Oklahoma State, 58-56, Feb. 14. Tech lost at then No. 20/19 Texas A&M, 70-56, Feb. 17, and then got beat at home by then No. 10/10 Oklahoma, 65-56, Feb 27. The Lady Raiders fell at then No. 17/19 Oklahoma State, 73-54, March 1. Last year, the Lady Raiders beat three top 25 teams (UCLA, Texas, Nebraska).

What Can Brown Do for You?
Sophomore Maddy Brown came off the bench at Oklahoma State and scored a season-high 16 points as she hit a season-high four three-pointers. She also had a season-high four rebounds and tied her season high of one block.

Murphree Increases Scoring Average
Sophomore Jordan Murphree has scored in double digits in seven of the last nine games. In the last nine games, she has averaged 12 points, an increase of 5.3 points per game compared to the previous nine contests.

Murphree Has Fourth-Straight Double Digit Game
Sophomore Jordan Murphree had 12 points at Oklahoma State to mark her fourth-straight game of double-figure scoring.

Eighteen Points Ties Murphree's Season High
Sophomore Jordan Murphree scored a team-high 18 points against Oklahoma, which tied her season-high. She also had 18 points at UNLV back in November. Murphree scored her career high of 19 at Texas A&M last year.

Five Straight for Seals
Junior Dominic Seals finished with 10 points against the Sooners, marking her fifth-straight game of double-digit scoring and her 21st game of the season.

Seals Collects Career-High Steals
Junior Dominic Seals collected a career-high three steals against Oklahoma. Her previous career high was two on five occasions this season.

Third Big 12 Rookie of the Week Honor for Seals
Junior Dominic Seals averaged 18.5 points and seven rebounds while shooting 68.2 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the charity stripe in Texas Tech's wins against Kansas and Nebraska during the week of Feb. 18-24, to be named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Rookie of the Week. It was the third time for Seals to receive the honor this season.

Seals Gets 20th Double-Figure Scoring Game
Junior Dominic Seals got her 20th double-figure scoring game as she had a game-high 21 points, 19 in the second half, against Nebraska.

Henderson Grabs Rebounds, Collects Assists Versus Huskers
Junior Tiny Henderson tied her career-high seven rebounds against Nebraska. It marked the third time in her career to record seven boards. She also dished out seven assists against the Huskers, just one assist shy of her career high which she had earlier this year against Colorado. She also had four steals, one shy of her career high in that category as well.

Roberson Ties Career-High Blocks
For the third time this season, sophomore Ashlee Roberson tied her career-high three blocks in the win against the Huskers. She has recorded 21 blocks this season, seven in the last three games. Her 21 blocks rank third on the team behind junior Dominic Seals' 36 and senior Erin Myrick's 23.

Losing Streak Snapped
Texas Tech snapped its five-game losing streak with a 65-61 win over Kansas on Feb. 20. It also gave the Lady Raiders a nine-game winning streak against KU.

Strong Second Half for Murphree
Junior Jordan Murphree scored 17 points, all in the second half, to lead Texas Tech to victory over Kansas. The Brock, Texas, native was 6-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-5 from three-point range and 3-of-3 from the free throw line.

Nineteenth Double-Digit Game
Junior Dominic Seals continues to dominate in the paint. Seals scored 16 points against the Jayhawks for her 19th double-digit scoring game of the season.

Overcoming Deficit
For the first time since the 1998-99 season, the Lady Raiders overcame a 10-plus point halftime deficit to win. Tech trailed Kansas, 33-21, at the half before rallying back for a five-point win. The last time that occurred was when Tech trailed at Oklahoma, 39-27, and then won in overtime, 89-87, on Jan. 27, 1999.

Walker Steps Up
Junior Keisha Walker returned to the starting lineup after a seven-game absence from the starting five. Walker made her presence known as she scored 11 points in a season-high 33 minutes of play. It was the first time she had scored in double figures since she had a career-high 18 points versus Sam Houston State Nov. 27.

Outrebounding Opponents
For the 19th time this season, the Lady Raiders outrebounded their opponent as they collected nine more rebounds than Kansas. Tech is 14-5 when winning the battle on the boards.

Fifty Percent From the Field
Texas Tech shot 51.3 percent from the field, hitting 20-of-39 shot attempts at Texas A&M. It marked the fourth time this season that the Lady Raiders have shot over 50 percent in a game and their first time in Big 12 play. Tech is 3-1 on the season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.

More Scoring for Seals
Junior Dominic Seals had her 17th and 18th double-figure scoring games of the season last week. Seals scored 12 against Oklahoma State, while pouring in 18 at Texas A&M.

Double-Figure Scoring Games
Junior Stanecia Graham scored a team-high 14 points against Oklahoma State, marking the first time since Dec. 18 that she had scored double figures in back-to-back games. She had 11 the previous game at Baylor. Back in December, she scored 14 against Arizona State and then 13 versus Oral Roberts. Sophomore Jordan Murphree scored 11 points to give her back-to-back games of 10 or more points. Murphree had 10 at Baylor. It was also her first time for consecutive double-figure scoring games since December when she had 12 against Oral Roberts and 16 against SMU.

Murphree Blocks High and Knocks Down Career-High 3s
Sophomore Jordan Murphree knocked down a career-high three three-pointers versus the Cowgirls, breaking her old mark of the two. She also swatted two shots, which tied her career high. She has had two blocks five times in her career, including one other time this season at UCF in the season opener.

Graham Ties Career-High Steals
Junior Stanecia Graham snatched three steals versus Oklahoma State, tying her career high. She also had three steals at Arkansas in January.

Seals Gets 17th Double-Digit Scoring Effort
Junior Dominic Seals chipped in 12 points against the Cowgirls for the 17th time to score in double digits this season.

Graham Pulls Down Career High
Junior Stanecia Graham pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds at Baylor last week. Graham's previous career high was 10 against Sam Houston State back in November. She also added 11 points for her second double-double.

Seals Ties Career-High Blocks
Junior Dominic Seals tied her career-high three blocks at Baylor, while junior Tiny Henderson tied her career-high five steals against the Lady Bears.

Season Low Field Goal Percentage
The Lady Raiders shot just 24.6 percent from the field against the Lady Bears. Tech hit just 16-of-65 shot attempts.

Henderson Scores Season High at Iowa State
Junior Tiny Henderson poured in a season-high 17 points at Iowa State, just two points shy of tying her career-high of 19. She also collected five assists and season highs of six rebounds and four steals.

Season Low Turnovers
Texas Tech committed just 10 turnovers in its loss at Iowa State, marking a season low for the Lady Raiders. Their previous season low was 11 against Arizona State back in December.

Pulling Down the Boards
Junior Dominic Seals had her ninth double-figure rebounding game as she pulled down 10 boards versus the Aggies.

Career-High Assists for Tiny
Junior Tiny Henderson dished out a career-high eight assists against the Buffaloes, surpassing her old career high of five which she had two times in her career.

Tough Big 12 Start
Texas Tech started 0-3 in Big 12 play, before getting its first league win against then No. 24/23 Texas, 70-58, in Lubbock on Jan. 20. The 0-3 start marked the first time the Lady Raiders had started off the Big 12 season with three losses. Tech started off 0-2 in 2000 and went on to share the Big 12 title with Iowa State and Oklahoma.

Tech Suffers Worst Loss of Season
Texas Tech suffered its worst loss of the season with a 39-point loss, 78-39, at then No. 11/11 Oklahoma on Jan. 23. It was the Lady Raiders' worst loss since losing at Louisiana Tech, 95-54, on Jan. 11, 1990.

Seals Leads Tech to First Big 12 Win
Junior Dominic Seals poured in a career-high 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Texas Tech to its first Big 12 win of the season in its victory over Texas Jan. 20. It was her eighth double-double of the season. She also tied her career highs of three blocks and three assists.

Largest Margin Victory
Texas Tech won at Washington State, 89-45, marking its largest margin of victory this season. It was also the Lady Raiders' biggest win on the road since beating Colorado, 87-41, in Boulder on Jan. 15, 2005.

Longest Double-Figure Win Streak Since 1994-95
Texas Tech won its first nine games this season by double figures, which was the longest double-figure winning streak since winning 17-straight games by 10 or more points during the 1994-95 season.

Scoring Points
Texas Tech has scored at least 70 points in 13 of its 16 wins this year, already surpassing last year's total (seven times) of 70 or more points in a game. Last season, the Lady Raiders scored 70-plus points just seven times with a record of 6-1 in those games. The one loss was the only game Tech scored 80-plus points, which was an overtime loss at Oklahoma (86-81). So far this year, Tech has scored 80 or more points six times, including 90 points against Alcorn State and a season-high 91 points versus Oral Roberts.

Basketball Travelers Classic Honors
Senior Erin Myrick was named MVP of the Basketball Travelers Classic as she averaged 16.7 points and six rebounds, while shooting 80 percent from the field in Tech's three wins. She also tallied seven blocks. Junior Dominic Seals was named to the all-tournament team after she averaged 14 points and 7.7 rebounds, and shot 57.7 percent from the field.

Across the Nation
The 15 Lady Raiders hail from five states across the country with 10 coming from the state of Texas. Sophomore Maddy Brown is from the furthest east, hailing from Honeoye Falls, N.Y., while senior Erin Myrick is from the furthest west coming from Duarte, Calif. Junior Stanecia Graham is from Aurora, Ill., and junior Keisha Walker calls Kansas City, Mo., home. Junior Maria Moore's hometown is Sparks, Nev.

South Plains Connection
Three current Lady Raiders were teammates at South Plains College before arriving at Texas Tech. Juniors Dominic Seals and Alana Rumph played two years for the Lady Texans, while sophomore Ashlee Roberson was there for one season. South Plains College has been a pipeline for the Lady Raiders over the years as several standouts have played at SPC prior to being a Lady Raider, including Sheryl Swoopes, Angie Braziel and Aleah Johnson, just to name a few.

Preseason Honors
Junior Dominic Seals was named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, which was voted on by the league coaches.

Degree in Hand
Senior Erin Myrick graduated cum laude in May 2007 with a degree in broadcast journalism with minors in English and Spanish. Myrick is currently working on a second degree in public relations with a minor in general business.

On the Tube
Texas Tech has 14 regular-season games televised this season. The Lady Raiders will play on ESPN2 once, FSN three times, FSNSW once, FSNMW once and the Texas Tech Television Network eight times. Tech played at Kansas State (L, 45-71) on FSNMW. On FSN, Tech played Texas (W, 70-58), Colorado (Jan. 26) and at Baylor (L, 45-68). The Lady Raiders play on FSNSW at Texas (Mar. 5). Tech's ESPN2 game is at Texas A&M (Feb. 17). The Lady Raiders had games against IPFW (W, 72-51), Alcorn State (W, 90-55), Sam Houston State (W, 84-51), Houston (L, 63-66), Oral Roberts (W, 91-61) at Oklahoma (L, 39-78), Kansas (W, 65-61) and Oklahoma (L, 55-65) on the Texas Tech Television Network.

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:
Haskell/Abilene - KVRP-FM (97.1)
Hereford - KPAN-AM/FM (860/106.3)
Lamesa - KPET-AM (690)
Lubbock - KFYO-AM/KKCL-FM (790/98.1)
Plainview - KVOP-AM (1090)

Inside Lady Raider Basketball with Kristy Curry
Kristy Curry's weekly television show, Inside Lady Raider Basketball with Kristy Curry, is televised every Sunday. The show airs 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 Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar located at 4th and Milwaukee. The show airs on KFYO-AM 790 locally.