Fast Start Powers Lady Raiders past UIW

LUBBOCK, Texas — Powered by a 27-point first quarter, the Texas Tech Lady Raiders rolled past UIW, 66-48 Sunday afternoon at United Supermarkets Arena.

With the win, Texas Tech (7-1) has now won six straight games for the first time since the 2019-20 season. The 7-1 start is also the best record that the Lady Raiders have had through eight games since starting 8-0 in the aforementioned 2019-20 season.

Freshman Bailey Maupin narrowly missed her first career double-double Sunday, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds while senior Bryn Gerlich scored 10 points to reach the 500- point mark.

Other standout performances included eight points and seven rebounds from both freshman Jasmine Shavers and senior Ella Tofaeono.

For the second straight game, the Lady Raiders forced 22 turnovers, turning those into 27 points.

UIW (2-4) was led by Myra Bell who scored a game-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 
Powered by Maupin and Shavers, the Lady Raiders scored 10 of the first 15 points Sunday to lead 10-5 with 6:04 to play in the opening quarter.

After a UIW bucket, a Gerlich triple sparked a 5-0 run that gave her team a 15-7 lead with 4:20 to play in the first. The 3-pointer was Gerlich’s 500th career point.

UIW quickly answered with the next three points to close to within 15-10 with 3:38 to play, but the Lady Raiders scored the period’s final 12 points to take a 27-10 lead after 10 minutes of play.

A Maupin jumper just 39 seconds into the second quarter extended Tech’s run to 14-0 and gave the home side a 29-10 lead.

UIW used back-to-back buckets from Destiny Terrell to draw to within 34-14 with 6:20 to play.

Over the final six minutes and change of the period, the Lady Raiders held UIW without a field goal and to just one total point.

The defensive surge allowed the Lady Raiders to take a commanding 40-15 lead at the break.

In the first half, the Lady Raiders held UIW to just 6-of-25 shooting (24 percent) and 1-of-10 shooting from distance.

After the break, the Lady Raiders scored the first three points of the period to take a game-high 43-15 lead with 7:45 to play in the quarter.

Needing a run, UIW tried to sneak back into the game, using a 13-2 run to cut the Lady Raider lead to just 45-28 with 4:51 to play in the third.

Looking to regain momentum, the Lady Raiders used a basket from Tofaeono to jumpstart a 5-0 run. The stretch expanded Tech’s lead to 50-28 with 2:30 to play in the third.

After UIW hit its third 3-pointer of the quarter, Tech answered with a Saga Ukkonen triple that brough Tech’s lead to 53-31 after 30 minutes.

In the fourth, UIW scored the first five points to get to within 17 points (53-36), but Tech quickly answered with a 9-3 stretch to gain a 62-39 lead with four minutes to play.

The run allowed Tech to close out a 66-48 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Tech’s 27 point first quarter is the most scored in an opening quarter since the New Mexico game last season (Nov. 28)
• Playing on a weekend for the first time this season, the Lady Raiders drew their second-largest crowd (4,297) of the season.
• Including the final three quarters Thursday and the opening quarter Sunday, Tech scored 101 points in a four-quarter stretch.
• With the 27-point quarter, the Lady Raiders scored over 25 points in a quarter for the third time in the last three games.
• With her 11 points Sunday, Maupin has now scored in double-figures in seven of her first eight games.
• Her eight rebounds are a new career high, and mark the sixth time she’s grabbed at least five boards in a game.
• The freshman has now made at least four free throws in all seven of those contests after going 5-of-6 from the line. For the season Maupin is 45-of-50 (90 percent).
• Entering the day as the best 3-point shooting team in the country (44.1), the Lady Raiders shot just 3-of-16 from distance today.
• After making just 10-of-19 free throws on Thursday, the Lady Raiders returned to form at the line on Sunday going 19-of-23.
• The Lady Raiders are now 4-0 this season when making over 15 free throws.
• Tech reached the 40 rebound mark for the first time this season. 14 of those rebounds came on the offensive end.
• Despite the rough shooting performance from distance tonight, Tech is still shooting 45.5 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range and almost 80 percent from the line (79.6).
• Ukkonen scored a career-high four points on Sunday and shot the first two free throws of her Texas Tech career.
• Every Lady Raider that was dressed played on Sunday and all but one scored at least two points.
• Sophomore Lana Wenger tied her career high on Sunday scoring five points. It’s her third game with five points this season.

COACH SPEAK (HC KRISTA GERLICH): 
“Obviously we are very excited to be 7-1. I thought we came out of the gate really well. That is probably the best offensive output we’ve had in the first quarter this season. But we’re also a little disappointed with the inconsistency of being able to defend and continuing to push the ball with energy after the first quarter. I thought we did look a little bit sluggish offensively. We didn’t produce nearly as much in the second, third and fourth. But at the end of the day, we got a lot of kids some playing time. There are a lot of things we can continue to work on, and we will have to play much better on Tuesday against Sam Houston.  We’re excited about that opportunity, and to play in-front of all the kids for education day. Tonight, I loved our crowd, and I am so thankful that they came. I think that is the first time we have played on a weekend this season at home, so I am really glad they came out and I hope they continue to throughout the season. But we want to play better. We have got to value the basketball better and we had way too many turnovers. We also had some high defensive goals for this game and did not attain them. We will keep working on things like that. I think the team is starting to figure some things out, but consistency is something we will have to have as we enter Big 12 play.”

UP NEXT: 
The Lady Raiders close a three-game in five-day stretch when Sam Houston comes to town for the annual Education Day game. Tip-off from United Supermarkets Arena is set for 11:30 a.m.

–TECH–

Release provided by Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics