Bradford named finalist for Jason Witten Award
LUBBOCK, Texas – Sophomore Bailey Maupin eclipsed the 500 career points mark and sophomore Kilah Freelon posted her third double-double of the season as the Texas Tech Lady Raiders defeated the Incarnate Word Cardinals, 76-35, on Wednesday afternoon at the United Supermarkets Arena.
In front of an Education Day record crowd of 13,743, the 24th-best crowd in program history, the Lady Raiders (11-0) remained perfect with a solid defensive effort against Incarnate Word (5-3). The team totaled a season-high 17 steals in the game, while posting a school record six in the fourth quarter.
Coming into the game, UIW was 16th in the nation averaging 12.0 turnovers per game, but the Lady Raiders almost tripled that as they forced 31 Cardinal turnovers, which is the second time this season forcing 30+ in a game. In addition, Texas Tech held UIW to single-digit scoring in three of the four quarters today making it the 14th time that has happened this year. The Lady Raiders also posted their fourth game of the season with over 20 assists after dishing out 21 on the day.
Maupin recorded her 10th double-figure scoring game with 11 points, while also adding a team-best four assists and four steals. Freelon collected a double-double with 10 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds as she was perfect from the field (4-of-4) for the second-straight game.
Sophomore Jasmine Shavers tallied her eighth double-figure scoring game when she posted a team-best 15 with three steals, two assists and three boards. Freshman Loghan Johnson had herself a day after scoring a career-high 11 points on 50 percent shooting and four rebounds.
In the first quarter, the Lady Raiders got a 3-pointer from Maupin just 20 seconds in for an early, 3-0 advantage. The Cardinals answered by scoring the next seven points heading into the media timeout at the 4:54 mark. Maupin put up another jumper, then Johnson and Shavers added four more points for Tech to tie things at 9-all. At the end of the quarter, Elina Arike scored a layup and Shavers connected with a couple more free throws to lead, 13-9.
Texas Tech opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run thanks to buckets from Maupin, Saga Ukkonen and Arike for a 20-9 advantage. However, Incarnate Word responded with seven-consecutive points to cut into the lead. Tech ended the half on a 9-2 run, only allowing the Cardinals nine points in the period, to lead 29-18 after two.
Shavers began the third quarter scoring the first five points with a layup and 3-pointer to make it 34-18 in Tech’s favor. Maupin sparked an 8-2 run for the Lady Raiders after hitting two free throws, then Shavers added two more 3-pointers to increase the lead. Ashley Chevalier and Jordyn Merritt made back-to-back shots, then the Lady Raiders ended the period on a 10-2 run thanks to point scoring from Freelon, Merritt, Maupin and Jada Wynn to make it 58-30.
In the fourth quarter, Freelon opened the scoring with a free throw 40 seconds in. Then, Tech and UIW went into a drought for two minutes until Freelon made another layup on a fast break thanks to the steal by Chevalier. Ukkonen hit another 3-pointer for the Lady Raiders before Kelly Mora and Wynn added four more points at the end of the period to win the game by a 76-35 score.
QUOTES
Head coach Krista Gerlich
Opening statement…
“What a great atmosphere. So proud of Lubbock and West Texas for showing up, and our marketing department has just been incredible at organizing, I don’t know how you organize 13,000 kids, but it’s fantastic. They certainly make a huge difference and I certainly hope that they would go home and tell their parents how much fun they had and that they want to be season ticket holders. That’d be cool. They make a huge difference for us, and I love this game so much. I thought our kids played really, really well for it and I’m really proud of our defensive effort tonight. I thought we were consistent all day long and locked down a really methodical and good offensive team. I thought we took them out of what they wanted to do, and we got a lot of kids a lot of playing time and some career highs, so it’s fantastic.”
On the atmosphere and how it affects the team…
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech senior defensive lineman Tony Bradford Jr. was named one of three finalists Thursday for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, which recognizes exemplary leadership both on and off the field.
Bradford was the lone Big 12 player selected as a Jason Witten Award finalist as he was joined by Michigan running back Blake Corum and Virginia running back Mike Hollins. The 2023 winner will be announced Feb. 15, 2024, during an award ceremony at The Star in Frisco, the official team headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys.
“I am excited to announce these three outstanding young men as the finalists for the seventh annual Collegiate Man of the Year,” said Witten. “Tony Bradford, Jr., Blake Corum and Mike Hollins have all demonstrated exceptional leadership on and off the field and set the standard for what being a student-athlete is all about. It’s nearly impossible to choose just three from all of the great players nominated. There are so many great representatives for college football, and I commend all of the nominees for the tremendous example of leadership they set on the field, on campus and in the community.”
This is the second significant honor for Bradford in as many weeks as he was previously named the recipient of the Pop Warner Award for his outstanding contributions in the Lubbock community as well as on the field and in the classroom. He was Texas Tech’s first-ever winner of that award.
The Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund.
Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport and the Cowboys’ all-time leading receiver, served as one of football’s most prominent role models during his 17-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten has also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
The same could be said for Bradford, who has defined those same traits as Witten during his five years in Lubbock, earning the nickname “The Mayor” for his consistent presence in the West Texas community. Bradford was actually named the “honorary mayor” of Lubbock by city of Lubbock Mayor Tray Payne on Dec. 28, 2022, prior to the Red Raiders’ victory over Ole Miss in the Texas Bowl.
Bradford is a staple in the West Texas community through his advocacy of volunteer work, especially in underprivileged areas of East Lubbock. Bradford has been actively involved in neighborhood cleanups throughout his career as well as voter registration drives, peace walks and visits to local elementary schools and local non-profit organizations. Bradford has regularly visited local school districts to demonstrate, as he puts it, that “kids who look just like me can achieve what I have, too.”
Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, Bradford organized a turkey giveaway, utilizing his own Name-Image-Likeness proceeds to distribute 100 turkeys of his own to families in need. His contribution was matched by United Supermarkets locally as the planned two-hour giveaway was completed in roughly half the time as Bradford had lines of cars waiting 60 minutes prior to the 11 a.m. start time.
The respect Bradford has gained off the field has led to a bigger voice for important topics on campus and within the Big 12 Conference. Bradford is a longtime member of the Texas Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was selected in 2022 to represent the university as part of the Big 12 Champions for Life campaign. With that, he was able to attend the Big 12’s annual meetings that May as a student-athlete voice and to also be recognized for his work in the community. Bradford was previously selected last fall as one of two Big 12 representatives on the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee Student-Athlete Connection Group.
In the classroom, Bradford is a two-time graduate of Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in interdisciplinary studies. He is currently pursuing another graduate degree in public administration to further his career goal of eventually joining law enforcement and rising to the role of chief of police for a major metropolitan city.
Bradford has stuck with his career goals as a member of the Red Raider football program as he has served as a campus security guard for the Texas Tech Police Department the past three-plus years. Bradford has served with the Texas Tech Police Department during the offseason, all while continuing to be a team leader for the Red Raiders on the field and in the community. He has regularly worked Texas Tech’s home basketball events, assisting with traffic control and in-venue security.
On the field, Bradford is a four-year starter that has teamed with Jaylon Hutchings to form one of the top interior defensive line tandems in all of college football the past two seasons. Bradford has made 37 starts entering his final game as a Red Raider on Saturday at the Radiant Technologies Independence Bowl. He has made 145 tackles over his career, including 30.0 for a loss and 15.0 sacks as a three-time All-Big 12 selection.
Kickoff between Texas Tech and Cal is slated for 8:15 p.m. CT Saturday evening from Independence Stadium in Shreveport. Coverage will be provided nationally on ESPN and the Texas Tech Sports Network.
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Release provided by Matt Dowdy Texas Tech Athletics
