Ferrell Records 500th career assists, as Tech Rolls Past McNeese State

LUBBOCK, Texas – Powered by strong performances from guard Bre’Amber Scott and point-forward Katie Ferrell, the Texas Tech Lady Raiders rolled past the Cowgirls of McNeese State, 66-47 Monday night at United Supermarkets Arena.

With the victory, the Lady Raiders (10-1) have won nine games in-a-row and move to within one victory over tying last season’s win total of 11.

For the third consecutive game, Scott was outstanding contributing 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals. The guard did not have a turnover and was an impressive 8-of-9 from the charity stripe.

In typical “Big Kat” fashion, Ferrell stuffed the stat sheet in her 22 minutes of action. She scored two points, grabbed a season-high nine boards had three assists to eclipse the 500 assist mark and had a pair of steals.

The UT Arlington transfer now has passed 500 career points, 700 career rebounds and 500 career assists.

Other strong performances Monday night included forward Jazmaine Lewis and guard Bailey Maupin reaching double-figures. Lewis scored 10 points in just 17 minutes of action to record her fifth game with at least 10 points this season, while Maupin hit double-figures for the eighth time.

In total, the Lady Raiders had 18 assists on 24 made baskets turning the ball over just nine times in the process.

The Lady Raiders held McNeese (3-8) to just 2-of-17 shooting from 3-point range and 31 points in the final three quarters. The Cowgirls were led by guard Zuzanna Kulinska who scored 15 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
McNeese got off to a strong start on Monday, scoring six of the first 10 points to take an early 6-4 lead with 7:12 to play in the opening quarter. The lead marked the final time that Tech trailed in the contest.

A Maupin jumper quickly jumpstarted an 8-2 run that gave the Lady Raiders a 12-8 lead with 4:39 to play in the first.

McNeese continued to hang around, scoring eight of the next 13 points to draw to within 17-16 with 25 ticks to play.

Looking to seize a bit of momentum, Tech used a jumper from Maupin to take a 19-16 lead after 10 minutes of play.

A triple from Maupin with 2:40 to play in the first half capped a 13-4 run that extended the Lady Raider lead to a first half best 12 points (32-20).

Over the final 2:40, the two teams managed just two points, as Tech led 32-22 after 20 minutes.

After McNeese struck first in half number two on a 3-pointer from Kulinska, a Ferrell layup with 9:15 to go in the quarter sparked an 8-0 run that doubled Tech’s lead from 32-25 to 40-25 in a matter of just 57 seconds.

McNeese would answer with the games’ next eight points to draw to within 40-32 with 5:39 to play, but a 9-3 run over the next three minutes and change extended the Lady Raiders lead to 49-37 with 2:13 to play.

After a bucket from McNeese cut Tech’s advantage to 49-37, a pair of Scott free throws gave her team a 51-37 advantage heading to the fourth.

In the fourth, Tech managed to score eight of the first 12 points to take a 57-41 lead with 7:38 to play in the contest.

After McNeese twice cut the deficit to 14 points, the Lady Raiders used one last 11-4 burst to take a game-high 66-45 lead.  The Cowgirls closed with one last basket, but Tech cruised to the 66-47 win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• The Lady Raiders forced 17 McNeese turnovers to improve to 8-0 when forcing more than 15 turnovers.
• Tech’s 18 assists mark the third time this season the Lady Raiders have reached 18 assists in a contest. Not surprisingly, the Lady Raiders are 3-0 in those contests.
• The Lady Raiders held McNeese State to 19 points below their season average.
• After attempting just one free throw in the entire first half, Tech managed to get to the line 12 times in the final 20 minutes. The Lady Raiders were an impressive 11-of-12.
• In the second quarter, McNeese scored just six points on 3-of-16 shooting. The Cowgirls shot 0-of-6 from 3-point range.
• Scott continues to score and rebound the basketball at a high level.
• The guard recorded her sixth game with at least five rebounds and narrowly missed her second double-double in three games.
• After being limited to just eight games due to a nagging foot injury, Scott played in her ninth game of the season tonight and is now averaging 13.2 points and 6.1 rebounds.
• The Little Rock native has grabbed a team-best 52 rebounds this season.
• With her nine rebounds, three assists and two steals, Ferrell now has 718 career rebounds, 501 career assists and 220 rebounds.
• Tonight, was her 116th career game and 101st career start.
• Five of Tech’s nine turnovers came in the third quarter.
• The Lady Raiders held McNeese to just two second chance points and have now allowed 10 or fewer second-chance points in six games (all wins).

COACH SPEAK (HC KRISTA GERLICH):
“I think that was one of our best defensive performances this season. Overall, there were still some things that we weren’t real happy with, but at the same time, we held a team that averages almost 68 points per game to just 47.  That was a  good defensive outing for us. McNeese are a really good basketball team. This is Coach Kennedy’s second year there coaching and he has got a lot of really good pieces that play really hard. I thought they exposed us in some areas that we knew were coming. Our inside game was much better today, and the longer we played, the more confident our post players got. And then, our guards just handled their zone really well. It is easy to get out of your rhythm against a zone and I thought that our kids focused, stayed intense, and made really good passes. Because of our passes we had a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio which is fantastic. This was a good, really solid, win, and it was great to see so many kids contribute. Our entire team was locked in and focused for this challenge.”

ON THE DIFFERENCE IN SCOTT’S PLAY THIS SEASON VERSUS LAST SEASON:
“Last year you saw a lot of stress when Bre played. She was so worried about being hurt or getting hurt again, and I think she felt some pressure because she came here with a reputation and track record of being a really good player who has got a lot of experience. We saw a little bit of that early in the year when we were starting practice and it is so good to just see her relax. I think she is truly having fun on the court. She is playing hard and she is communicating really well when she gets tired. When she comes out of the game, she is being responsive and just being a great teammate and encourager. She is just really enjoying her senior year and taking advantage of not being injured. It is fun to see her enjoy the game because that is the way it is supposed to be played.”

UP NEXT:
The Lady Raiders return to action on Thursday afternoon when the UC Riverside Highlanders visit Lubbock. The 2 p.m. tip will be Tech’s penultimate non-conference contest and the final game before the Christmas holiday break.

–TECH–

Release provided by Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics