The festivities will include a special private event on Friday night honoring the 1993 National Championship team and will run straight through the Lady Raiders contest on Saturday at 2 pm
Seeking the first win over Baylor in 12 years, the Lady Raiders will welcome back over 80 alumni from teams spanning the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s.
At halftime of Saturday’s contest, all of the Lady Raider alums will be honored, highlighted by the 1993 team. Tech Athletics and the Lady Raider program will also be giving out special commemorative tee-shirts while supplies last prior to the contest.
In addition to the celebration of alumni weekend, Tech Athletics will also be hosting a free pre-game National Girls and Women’s in Sports Day clinic in the Dustin R. Womble Basketball Center. Pre-registration is required and is open to kids ages 3-12.
Sitting at 15-5 overall, the Lady Raiders will also wear their “retro” black uniforms inspired from the uniforms that the 1992-93 Lady Raider team wore.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech Lady Raiders (15-5, 3-4 Big 12) vs. Baylor (13-6, 4-3 Big 12)
DATE: January 28, 2023
LOCATION: Lubbock, Texas (United Supermarkets Arena)
TIME: 2 P.M
LAST TIME OUT:
HERE COME THE BEARS:
• Baylor enters Saturday’s matchup at 13-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play. Entering the matchup unranked in the AP poll for the first time since the 2003-04 season, Baylor lost just three games in conference play all of last year. The Bears closed the regular season by winning 15-of-16.
• Since opening Big 12 play 3-0 with wins over TCU (64-42), at OU (81-70) and at KU (75-62), Baylor has lost three-of-four including home games against OSU (Jan 11) and UT (68-55). The other loss in that span was a 74-65 setback at WVU.
• Baylor currently has three players averaging in double-figures led by Preseason All-Big 12 selection Sarah Andrews. Andrews scored 15.8 points and made 47 3-pointers. A native of Irving, Texas, Andrews was named Big 12 Player of the Week back on Jan. 10 after scoring 30 points against OU and 27 at KU. Andrews has at least three triples in four of seven Big 12 games.
• The other player averaging in double-figures is fifth-year senior Kaitlin Bickle. Bickles is third on the team in scoring (11.1) and leads the Bears in rebounding (7.6).
• A pair of freshmen have also been strong for Baylor. Guard-forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs is averaging 9.5 and 8.9 per game and is the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Week. Littlepage-Buggs is tied with Tech freshman Jasmine Shavers with three weekly honors.
• Bella Fontleroy is the other freshman making an impact. The Springfield native is shooting 65-of-128 from the floor (50.8 percent). She has reached double figures in 10 games this season.
STORYLINES:
_ THE ONES THAT STARTED IT ALL
• The Lady Raiders will wear brand new “retro” black uniforms on Saturday against the Bears. Unveiled on Thursday afternoon, the uniforms are modeled after the uniforms that the Lady Raiders won the National Championship in back during the ’92-’93 season.
SAY BYE
• The Lady Raiders are coming off their one scheduled “mini-bye” of the regular season. Tech was off on Wednesday marking the lone time during the 10 week conference season that the Lady Raiders will not play a mid-week game.
WELCOME BACK
• Coach Gerlich and the Lady Raiders welcome back over 80 former players Saturday against Baylor for alumni weekend. At halftime of the game, each decade of Lady Raider Basketball will be honored highlighted by the 1992-93 National Champions. 1992-93 Most Outstanding Player during the Final Four, Sheryl Swoopes is supposed to be in attendance.
EARLY SPRING CLEANING
• Despite it being the heart of winter, the Lady Raiders did a bit of spring cleaning last week when they swept Big 12 weekly awards. Guard Bre’Amber Scott took home B12 Player of the Week honors while Jasmine Shavers was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the third time this season. Scott and Shavers are the first duo to sweep weekly awards since Plenette Pierson and Erin Gran in 2003. Scott averaged 30.0 points per game last week while Shavers dropped 19.0 points.
BRE’S ON FIRE
• Senior Bre’Amber Scott is back for her senior season and is playing at a high level. After missing the first two games of the season due to personal reasons, Scott made her return to the Lady Raider lineup before the Colorado game. Tech is now 13-4 this season in Scott’s 16 games. The guard leads the team in points-per-game (16.9) and has grabbed a team-best 109 rebounds. Her 6.4 rebounds a game are also the best on the Lady Raider squad. Scott has also made a team-best 98 free throws and has taken a team-high 121 attempts. In seven Big 12 games, Scott has scored 165 points, reaching 20 in five of those games. • Scott is leading the Big 12 in conference only scoring checking in at 23.6 points per game. Scott is shooting 47-of-61 (77.0) from the line in Big 12 play this season and the Lady Raiders are 4-2 when she reaches 20 points this season. Scott’s 37 points at K-State are tied for the fifth-most points that a Tech player has scored on the road. The Lady Raiders are now 71-13 in the 84 games where someone has scored 30+. Scott has scored 147 (24.5) points in the last six games.
WE’LL TAKE THAT
• Texas Tech has forced 248 turnovers over the last 14 contests (17.7/game) including a Krista Gerlich Era record 24 vs. Alabama State. As a team the Lady Raiders have forced 348 turnovers through the seasons first 20 games (18.4). All of last season Tech forced just 396. The Lady Raiders are 13-1 this season when forcing more than 15 turnovers and have forced at least 20 turnovers five times. Tech did not force at least 20 turnovers in a game at all last season
WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE
• The Lady Raiders are a perfect 14-1 this season when holding teams to under 30 points in the paint and 15-1 when holding teams to 32 or less in a game. On Wednesday, OU scored 42 points in the paint, the most Tech has allowed in a game this season. The Lady Raiders allowed 34 points in the paint against JSU, 38 points in the paint against ISU and a season-high 44 against KU. For the season, opponents are scoring just 23.9/game inside the paint. Saturday’s loss at WVU was the first time this season Tech fell when allowing fewer than 30 points in the paint. WVU managed just 14.
TOUGH SCHEDULE TO START BIG 12 PLAY
• After opening up with the preseason favorites and top-ranked team in the Big 12 (Iowa State), Tech traveled to No. 21 KU, the team with the best overall record in the Big 12. The Lady Raiders faced their third ranked opponent in the first four games when No. 19 Oklahoma came to town. The first four home games for the Lady Raiders will be against the top-four teams in the Big 12 Preseason poll. Tech welcomed preseason No. 3 UT on Jan. 18 and will host Baylor on Jan. 28. The Lady Raiders will not face a ranked conference opponent at home for the first time this season.
CHARITY WORK PAYS OFF
• The Lady Raiders are a perfect 6-0 this season when making at least 20 free throws. All three of Tech’s victories in conference play have featured 20+ made free throws.
UP NEXT:
Tech hits the road on Thursday when they head to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State. Tip-off is set for 6:30 pm from Gallagher-Iba Arena.