Nov. 16, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

Game 2 vs. #8/9 Tennessee • November 17, 2009
AT&T Center (8,669) • San Antonio, Texas • 6 p.m. • ESPNU

The Game
Texas Tech (1-0) travels to San Antonio, Texas, for its first road game of the season as it takes on No. 8/9 Tennessee (1-0) in the first game of the ESPNU Road to the Championship on Tues., Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. at the AT&T Center on ESPNU. The second game will feature No. 1/1 Connecticut and No. 12/14 Texas at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

On the Air
The game is being televised on ESPNU as Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Kara Lawson (color analyst) call the game. Rebecca Lobo will be the sideline reporter as well. The game can be heard on the radio on the Texas Tech Sports Network as Steve Strain 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 1-0 on the short season after winning its season opener, 91-52, against Sam Houston State last Saturday. In that game, sophomore Kierra Mallard scored 15 points, while senior Ashlee Roberson and sophomore Jordan Barncastle each added 14 points. Seniors Jordan Murphree and Tilmila Martin both chipped in 10 points. Roberson shot 87.5 percent from the field and Barncastle was 100 percent from the three-point arc. Mallard connected on all three free throw attempts for 100 percent. Roberson was the top rebounder, grabbing 11 boards. Murphree and freshman Monique Smalls each dished out four assists, while Mallard, Smalls and freshman Chynna Brown all had three steals apiece. Roberson was the top shot blocker with two blocks. The Lady Raiders shot 53.7 percent from the field, 16.7 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the charity stripe.

The Opponent
No. 8/9 Tennessee enters the game with a 1-0 record after upsetting No. 7/4 Baylor, 74-65, on Sunday in Knoxville. In that game, sophomore Shekinna Stricklen had game highs of 25 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, while sophomore Kelley Cain added 15 points and junior Angie Bjorklund had 13 points. Sophomore Glory Johnson tallied four steals as well. The Lady Vols shot 37 percent from the field, 15.8 percent from the three-point line arc and 77.3 percent from the free throw line.

The Series
Texas Tech and Tennessee are meeting for the sixth time in the series with the Lady Vols winning all five previous games. The last time the two teams met was in the 2005 NCAA Sweet 16 in Philadelphia, Pa., on March 27. Tennessee defeated the Lady Raiders, 75-59.

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 49-47 at Tech and a career record of 228-98 in 11 years. Pat Summitt is in her 36th year as head coach of the Lady Vols with a career record of 1006-193.

The Last Time Out
November 14 - Despite a lackluster start, the Texas Tech women's basketball team turned things around to defeat Sam Houston State, 91-52, in its season opener. A sluggish start to the game saw the Bearkats leading most of the first 12 minutes. Then the momentum shifted as the Lady Raiders started chipping away at the Bearkats' six-point lead. Tech regained the lead at 18-16 on a pair of free throws by Jordan Murphree at 8:27. It was a lead Tech would never relinquish. The Lady Raiders led 45-27 at the half. Tech continued to play strong into the second half, going on a 12-5 run the first three and a half minutes. From there it was all the Lady Raiders as they took a 39-point lead, its largest of the game, with 1:54 to go in the game on a layup by Marissa Ashton. Tech again went up by 39 points on a jumper by Jordan Barncastle with 58 seconds remaining to close out the game. Kierra Mallard led all scorers with 15 points, while Ashlee Roberson had her fourth career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Barncastle also added 14 points, while Jordan Murphree and Tilmila Martin each finished with 10 points. Murphree and Monique Smalls both had a game-high four assists. Sam Houston State was led by Whitney Smith with 14 points. The Lady Raiders shot 53.7 percent from the field, connecting on 36-of-67 shot attempts and they outrebounded the Bearkats 51-30.

A Look Ahead
Texas Tech returns home to play Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sun., Nov. 22, at 2 p.m. on the Texas Tech Sports Network. Tech then hosts the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Tourney Nov. 27-29 as it plays San Francisco on Fri, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m., Texas-Arlington on Sat., Nov. 28, at 8 p.m., and Prairie View A&M on Sun., Nov. 29, at 2 p.m. The Lady Raiders continue their homestand with games against Texas State on Wed., Dec. 2, at 8 p.m., New Mexico on Sat., Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. and Lamar on Tues., Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. Tech returns to the road for a game at UCLA on Fri., Dec. 18, at 9 p.m. CST before hosting Mercer on Mon., Dec. 21, at 7 p.m.

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.

Roberson Snags Fourth Career Double-Double
After scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the win over Sam Houston State, senior Ashlee Roberson has now snagged four double-doubles in her career. It was also the second-straight game for her to record double-digit boards as she finished 2008-09 with 13 versus Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big 12 Championship. Last season, she only had one double-double and it didn't come until the Jan. 31 game against Oklahoma State in Lubbock.

Barncastle Ties Career-High Points
For the third time in her career, sophomore Jordan Barncastle scored a career-high14 points against Sam Houston State. She hadn't matched that high since scoring 14 against Lamar on Nov. 21, 2008.

Fifty Percent from the Field
In its first game of the year, Texas Tech managed to shoot over 50 percent from the field. The Lady Raiders hit 36-of-67 shot attempts for 53.7 percent against Sam Houston State. It was the first time Tech had shot over 50 percent since shooting 57.9 percent against Sacramento State on Dec. 20, 2008.

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.

Murphree Nearing 1,000 Points
Senior Jordan Murphree is now 101 points shy of the 1,000-point plateau. In her previous three seasons, the Brock, Texas, native 283 as a freshman, 323 as a sophomore and 283 as a junior. She has scored 10 points so far this year.

League's Top Returning Rebounder
Sophomore Kierra Mallard averaged 7.9 rebounds in 2008-09, which led all freshmen in the league. Entering the season, Mallard was the top returning rebounder in the Big 12 for all classes.

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) who hailed from Trinidad-Tobago.

New Faces
Texas Tech has eight new faces in its locker room this year. Five of the eight are currently active. Freshmen Marissa Ashton, Chynna Brown, Mary Bokenkamp, Christine Hyde and Monique Smalls will all suit up for the exhibition game. Freshman Shauntal Nobles will redshirt this year after rupturing her Achilles during preseason workouts. Sophomore transfer Casey Morris will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, and junior transfer Teena Wickett has applied for a wavier to play this season. If the waiver is approved, she will suit up this year, if not, then she will wait to play until the 2010-11 season.

Class Breakdown
The 2009-10 Lady Raiders are young. This year's rosters has just three upperclassmen with three seniors - Tilmila Martin, Jordan Murphree and Ashlee Roberson - and just one junior in Teena Wickett. The sophomore class consists of Jordan Barncastle, Kierra Mallard and Kaylan Talley. The biggest class is the freshmen with five - Marissa Ashton, Chynna Brown, Mary Bokenkamp, Christine Hyde and Monique Smalls.

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.

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.

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 (Nov. 17), at Texas (Feb. 7) and Kansas (Feb. 21) on ESPNU. The Lady Raiders' games on FSN include texas (Jan. 16) 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 (2 p.m.), Savannah State (Jan. 2), at Oklahoma (Jan. 9), Colorado (Jan. 12), Nebraska (Jan. 27) and Oklahoma (Jan. 30).

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, will be televised every Sunday starting Jan. 10. 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 will be held each Monday starting Jan. 4 from 6-7 p.m. The show will air on Double T 104.3 (KTTU FM) locally. The location of the show will be announced at a later date.

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.