#24/23 Texas (13-4, 1-2 Big 12) at Texas Tech (12-5, 0-3)
Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008 · 5 p.m. Central
at the United Spirit Center (capacity 15,050), Lubbock, Texas
GAME COVERAGE
TELEVISION: FSN (FOX Sports Net): Kevin Eschenfelder, play-by-play; Brenda VanLengen, color
RADIO: KVET 98.1 FM (Central Texas): Craig Way, play-by-play; Chad Hastings, color
GAME DAY INFORMATION
In the National Rankings: Texas is No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25 (media poll), down from No. 15 last week ... UT is 23rd in the USA Today/ESPN Poll (coaches poll)- down from 15th ... Texas Tech is not ranked
Texas Head Coach Gail Goestenkors (Saginaw Valley State '85): 16th year overall: 512 games: 409-103 (.799); first year at Texas: 13-4 (.765)
Texas Tech Head Coach Kristy Curry (Northeast Louisiana '88): 9th year overall as collegiate head coach: 278 games: 206-72 (.741); 2nd year at TTU: 48 games: 27-21 (.563)
SERIES INFO
All-Time Series Record: 77th meeting - Texas leads the series, 53-23
Texas' Home/Away/Neutral Record vs. TTU: 24-6 at home; 17-12 away; 12-4 at neutral sites
Series Win Streak: +1, Texas
Last Year's Games: Texas Tech 49, No. 24 Texas 48 (Jan. 27, 2007, in Lubbock; Texas 59, Texas Tech 47 (Feb. 24, 2007 at Austin)
Gail Gostenkors All-Time vs. Texas Tech: 2-0 [at Duke: Duke 85, Texas Tech 69 (State Farm Tip-Off Classic, Durham, NC, Nov. 11, 2001; Duke 57, Texas Tech 51 (NCAA Final 8, Albuquerque, NM, March 31, 2003)]
Today's Teams
Texas, 13-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12, is in the midst of a seven-game string where five of its games are at home ... One exception to that is today's game at Texas Tech ... The Lady Raiders are 12-5 overall and 0-3 in the Big 12 and have dropped their last four games ... Texas will return home for its next two games (vs. No. 18/19 Oklahoma State and Missouri) before hitting the road to face No. 6/7 Baylor on Jan. 30 ... To date, UT is 7-1 at home, 3-2 in away games and 3-1 at neutral sites ... In this week's Associated Press Top 25, Texas is ranked No. 24, sliding from the 15th spot after dropping its first two conference contests; UT is 23rd in the USA Today/ESPN Poll, down from 15th ... Texas Tech is not ranked ... Texas picked up its first Big 12 win Wednesday when defeated Iowa State 59-56 in Austin behind 13 points from redshirt sophomore point guard Carla Cortijo and the second double-double of the year by freshman guard Kat Nash (12 points/10 rebounds) ... To start Big 12 play, Texas Tech lost to No. 8/8 Baylor (72-67), at Missouri (68-59) and at Kansas State (71-45) on Wednesday ... This will be the 77th meeting between these two squads, a series led by Texas, 53-23 ... Last year, UT and TTU split their series... Tech won in Lubbock (49-48, Jan. 27) with Texas winning in Austin (59-47, Feb. 24).
Raven & Lindsey- Consistent on Court
Sophomore guard and co-captain Brittainey Raven leads UT in scoring (16.1 ppg) and is the only Longhorn to notch double-digit scoring all 17 games ... Raven also has come up big on the boards lately with 28 in the last five games for a 5.7 rpg in this span ... She also is 48 for 62 from the foul line (77.4 percent) in the last 12 games ... Raven has led UT in scoring nine times and has five or more assists four times ... Junior post Ashley Lindsey (10.9 ppg, team-high 7.3 rpg) had a career-high seven blocks against Nebraska on Jan. 9 (prior high was six) ... With 50 blocks to date, she averages 2.94 bpg to rank No. 9 nationally ... Lindsey also pulled down 10 or more rebounds in four of the last six games and has all three of her double-doubles this season in this six-game span ... She had an 15-point, 11-rebound effort against Kansas State last Sunday... In two Big 12 games, Lindsey averages 9.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per contest.
Longhorns Look for First Lubbock Win Since 2003
Despite holding a commanding lead in series play against the Lady Raiders, Texas will be looking for its first Lubbock win in this home-and-home Big 12 series since the 2002-03 season ... UT has dropped its last four games in Lubbock, last winning 70-67 on March 2, 2003 when UT, en route to the Final Four, was ranked 10th and the Lady Raiders were ranked eighth (AP) ... Last year, Tech nipped the Longhorns, 49-48 at the United Spirit Center (on Jan. 27)...Texas is 17-12 against Texas Tech all-time in games played in Lubbock.
Longhorn Stat Leaders
Sophomore guard Brittainey Raven has been in double-figure scoring all 17 games and carries a team-best 16.1 ppg average ... She also leads the squad in steals with 36 (2.1 spg), is second in assists (55, 3.2 apg) and third in rebounding (4.9 rpg) ... Last year, the 6-0 combo guard netted double-figure scoring 10 times in 32 games.
Junior post Ashley Lindsey is second in scoring (10.9 ppg) and first in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and blocks (50, 2.94 bpg), with her 2.94 bpg average ranking No. 9 nationally ... Freshman guard Kat Nash (10.1 ppg), redshirt sophomore point guard Carla Cortijo (9.5 ppg), senior guard Erneisha Bailey (8.4 ppg) and redshirt sophomore Earnesia Williams (8.1 ppg) follow in scoring ... Despite coming off the bench 11 times (has six starts) and playing 26.2 minutes per contest, Nash also is first in 3-pointers made (21), second in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and fifth in steals (20, 1.2 spg). Cortijo, the Big 12 Player of the Week two weeks ago, is the club's assist leader with 81 for a 4.8 apg average... Cortijo is second on the club in steals with 34 (2.0 spg) and joins Williams and Nash as the team's best free throw shooters... Nash has nailed 83.0 percent of her free throws (39-47) ... Williams is hitting at an 81.8 percent clip in foul shooting (27-for-33), while Cortijo is at 77.4 percent (41-for-53).
In 3-point shooting, the Longhorns are led by Nash who is 21-for-57 (.368) from long range ... Surprisingly, Bailey has sunk the second-most 3-pointers of anyone on the team, going 15-for-46 (.326) from behind the arc ... Prior to this season, Bailey had NEVER made a 3-pointer, standing 0-6 in her career ... Williams is 9-for-23 in treys (.391) and Raven is 10 for 46 in her 3-pointers (.217).
Cortijo Back on Track
Limited with a left shoulder injury which happened in the opening minutes of the UT-Pan American game on Jan. 4, UT point guard Carla Cortijo played limited minutes in UT's first two Big 12 games, coming off the bench against Nebraska and Kansas State ... In those two games, Cortijo came off the bench and played a total of 24 minutes (8 vs. Nebraska, 18 vs. Iowa State), scored five points (vs. Iowa State) and had three assists in total as UT dropped both games ... With Cortijo back in the starting lineup Wednesday against Iowa State, the 5-7 floor leader netted a team-high 13 points, her most points in six games, and had four assists and four rebounds... Cortijo had her best shooting game of the year as well, going 6-10 from the floor.
A Look at Texas Tech
The Lady Raiders stand 8-2 at home to date ... Texas Tech has two post players averaging double-figure scoring, as 6-2 junior Dominic Seals collects 13.0 ppg to go with a team-high 9.0 rpg while 6-3 senior center Erin Myrick (11.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg) follows... They are joined by sophomore guard Jordan Murphree (9.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and junior forward Stanecia Grahman (8.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg) as team stat leaders ... Junior guard Maria Moore (8.7 ppg) leads the Lady Raiders in assists (77, 4.5 apg) and steals (30) ... Seals is netting 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in Big 12 action while Myrick adds 11.3 ppg and 7.3 rebounds per league game ... In overall games, Texas Tech averages 74.2 ppg; in Big 12 games, TTU scores 57.0 while allowing 70.3 ppg.
Common Opponents
To date, Texas and Texas Tech have met three common opponents - Sam Houston State, Arizona State and Kansas State ... Texas went 2-1 against this trio, defeating SHSU (91-41, Dec. 2 in Austin) and No. 22 Arizona State at ASU (62-51, Dec. 20) while dropping a 7-74 overtime decision to Big 12 opponent K-State in Austin (Jan. 13) ... Texas Tech went 2-1 against these three teams as well with wins over Sam Houston (84-51, Nov. 27) and No. 18 ASU (73-69, Dec. 13) in Lubbock before losing at Kansas State, 71-45, on Wednesday evening.
Texas & Texas Tech In the Newest NCAA Statistics
The Longhorns ranked in the top 12 in four categories in the most recent NCAA Division I statistics this week ....Through games of Jan. 17, Texas is No. 9 nationally in field goal percentage defense, holding the the opponents to 34.6 percent shooting accuracy ... The NCAA leader is Connecticut (29.3 percent) ... Texas is No. 11 in scoring margin (+17.4 ppg) and 11th in scoring, pumping in 76.5 ppg (North Carolina leads the nation with 90.6 ppg) ... Additionally, UT is 12th in blocked shots per game (93, 5.5 bpg) and 20th in rebound margin (+7.3, 44.9 to opponents' 37.6 rpg) ...Texas has out-rebounded 14 opponents and tied one to date.
Individually, Texas junior post Ashley Lindsey is 9th nationally in blocks per game average (2.94 bpg), while redshirt sophomore point guard Carla Cortijo ranks 46th nationally in assists with her 4.8 apg average.
For Texas Tech, the Lady Raiders stand No. 7 in rebound margin (+10.7), 26th in scoring (74.2 ppg) and 37th in field goal percentage defense (limiting opponents to 36.2 shooting accuracy) ... Junior Dominic Seals is 48th in rebounding (9.0 rpg).
Big 12 Numbers for Longhorns
Brittainey Raven, Kat Nash and Ashley Lindsey lead the Longhorns after three Big 12 game to date ... Raven is averaging 14.0 ppg, 15th-best in league play, and 5.7 rpg .... Rookie Nash collects 10.3 ppg and 6.3 rpg in Big 12 action while Lindsey is averaging 9.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per league game... Lindsey is first in league blocks average and tied for second in league rebounding with Colorado's Aija Putnina, as both trail league rebound leader Courtney Paris from OU with her 15.0 rpg average... Senior guard Erneisha Bailey averages 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per Big 12 game and is tied for second in league steals (8, 2.7 spg)... Bailey has the best shooting accuracy of all Longhorns in Big 12 play as she is hitting at a 52.6 percent clip from the floor, making 10 of 19 shots.
Nash leads all Big 12 players in free throw shooting, going 11-for-12 from the line for a 91.7 percent accuracy ... Nash is one of the top freshman performers in the league as well ... Among the rookie players, the 6-2 guard ranks fourth in scoring, second in rebounding, No. 6 in assists (1.3 apg) and No. 8 in 3-point percentage (4-12, .333).
In the Big 12 team statistics, the Longhorns are second in blocks per game (17, 5.7), fourth in free throw percentage (.740) and turnover margin (+2.33, 15.3 to's to opponents' 17.7), fifth in steals (9.33 spg), fifth in scoring defense (allowing 63.0 ppg) and fifth in field goal percentage defense, limiting Big 12 foes to 38.6 percent shooting.
After three games, however, the Horns are struggling offensively ... UT is ninth in league scoring (59.3 ppg), 10th in assists (28, 9.33 apg) and last in field goal percentage (hitting just 32.7 percent of their shots) ... In league games, the Longhorns are averaging just 59.3 ppg - 20 points lower than what UT was averaging before league play started ...UT has been out-scored by 3.7 ppg in league action (59.3 to opponents' 63.0 ppg) as UT is shooting just 32.7 percent from the floor ... Texas also has been out-rebounded (41.7 rpg to opponents' 43.0 rpg) ... UT was out-rebounded by 15 by Nebraska (55-40), then out-rebounded Kansas State by 11 (44-33) in the losses; in the league win over Iowa State, both teams had 41 rebounds.
Texas-Texas Tech Series
This is the 77th game in the Texas-Texas Tech series, which is the longest series in UT basketball history ... Texas leads series play, 53-23, yet is 6-5 in the last 11 games of the series ... Since Big 12 play began in 1996-97, Tech leads series play, 17-7 ...In games in Austin, Texas is 24-6 against Tech ... In game at Lubbock, the Horns stand 17-13, and at a neutral site, Texas leads play, 12-4.
Last March in Austin, Texas snapped Texas Tech's three-game win streak in the series with a 59-47 victory behind 17 points from then-redshirt freshman Earnesia Williams and a six-point, nine-rebound and career-high 13 assists from redshirt frosh point guard Carla Cortijo ... UT shot 48.1 percent in the game as UT led from start to finish ... Texas Tech was held to 33.3 percent shooting ... Texas controlled the boards, 40-36, and shot 7-for-15 from the foul line while Tech went 5-for-11 from the line... Both teams had 14 turnovers... Patrice Edwards (10 points) led TTU.
Earlier in the season in Lubbock on Jan. 27, Tech won that meeting, 49-48, which was UT's lowest scoring output of the year... Tech senior forward Alesha Robertson nailed the game-winning shot, hitting a three-pointer with 6.1 seconds left ... Texas led, 48-44 before an Erin Myrick layup with 1:10 left cut the lead to two, 48-46 ... UT missed a shot on its trip downcourt, and Tech got the defensive rebound with 40 seconds left ... On Tech's next offensive series, the Lady Raiders missed their first shot, and UT's Erneisha Bailey grabbed the rebound before Robertson tangled with her for the ball .. A jump ball was called and Tech retained possession on the alternating possession rule ... On the game-winning play, Chesley Dabbs dribbled at the top of the key before the ball bounced off her foot and went directly to Robertson ... The miscue also put Dabbs in perfect position to shield off UT's defender Brittainey Raven, and Robertson nailed her open shot from 22 feet away ... Texas had the ball for one final chance with 6.1 seconds left, but Tiffany Jackson missed a short jumper after dribbling the ball fullcourt, and Williams' putback fell short at the buzzer.
UT's top scorer and rebounder Jackson (2 points, 2 rebounds) played just 15 minutes due to foul trouble ... UT was led by Raven and Cortijo (10 points apiece) while Bailey added eight points and 10 rebounds...Myrick had a double-double for Tech with 16 points and 12 rebounds ... Texas had just 11 turnovers but shot 34.5 percent, while Tech shot just 26.3 percent ... The Lady Raiders held the rebound edge, 46-38 ... Texas was 6-10 in free throws while Tech went 15-19 from the line.
Goestenkors 2-0 vs. Lady Raiders
While head coach at Duke University the past 15 years, Gail Goestenkors played Texas Tech twice, and came away with two wins ...The first meeting was on Nov. 11, 2001 in the season opener at the State Farm Tip-Off Classic, hosted by Duke ... The Blue Devils on, 85-69 ... The second game was in 2003 NCAA "Elite Eight" play in the regional finals at Albuquerque, New Mexico .... Duke won that contest, 57-51, en route to their third (of four) Final Four showings under Goestenkors while she was Duke mentor.
Longhorn Stat Leaders Vs. Texas Tech
Forward Earnesia Williams had two strong outings against the Lady Raiders last year, notching 21 points with eight rebounds in the two games ... This included Williams' 17-point effort in the win in Austin when she was 8-for-12 from the floor ... Guards Brittainey Raven, Carla Cortijo and Erneisha Bailey also had strong games against Tech a year ago ... Raven had a 10-point, four-rebound game in Lubbock and a 12-point, five-rebound game in Austin ... Cortijo dished out 22 assists against only five turnovers in the two games with 16 points and 12 rebounds ... Cortijo had 10 points, three rebounds and nine assists in the January loss and six points, nine-rebounds and her career-high 13 assists in the win in Austin ... Bailey had her eight-point, team-high 10 rebound effort in the Lubbock loss in January.
Differences in Wins and Losses to Date
In its four losses through 17 games (to No. 1 Tennessee, Virginia, Nebraska, Kansas State), Texas has been hurt the most by its assist to turnover ratio and rebounding ... In the four losses, the Longhorns have had 44 assists and 89 turnovers - averaging 2.02 turnovers for every assist ... The breakdown: (12 a/30 to's vs. Tennessee; 15 a/25 to's vs. UVA; 7 a/20 to's vs. Nebraska; 10a/14 to's vs. K-State).
In the four losses, UT shot 43.6% (Tennessee), 45.9% (UVa), a season-low 25.8% (Nebraska) and 38.4% (KSU) ... UT out-rebounded three of the four - Tennessee (36-34), UVA (32-30) and Kansas State (44-33) and was out-rebounded for just the second time this year in the Nebraska loss, as NU dominated the boards, 55-40 ... The other game UT was out-rebounded (46 to 42) was in it's 76-43 win over Louisiana-Lafayette.
