Freelon sets school record in dominant win over Sam Houston
LUBBOCK, Texas – Sophomore Kilah Freelon set a school record after not missing a single shot in the game as the Texas Tech Lady Raiders overpowered the Sam Houston Bearkats, 93-60, on Tuesday night at the United Supermarkets Arena.
Freelon went a perfect 8-of-8 from the field to set the program record with most makes without a miss. She posted a career best with 16 points (all in the fourth quarter), eight field goals made and three assists, while adding six boards to aid in the victory. Sophomore Bailey Maupin had a phenomenal night after almost collecting a triple-double. Maupin totaled 15 points and had a career-best 11 assists and eight rebounds to record her first double-double of her career.
Sophomore Jasmine Shavers had her third game of the season with 20+ points as she totaled 22 on the night with five boards, two assists and a steal. Shavers went off in the second quarter as she went 3-of-3 from the field with four free throws to record 12 points in the period. Junior Ashley Chevalier set a new career-high in points after tallying 12 in the game on 4-of-5 shooting. In addition, Saga Ukkonen matched her career-best with an 8-point performance.
As a team, the Lady Raiders shot over 50 percent from the field for the second time this season as they went 34-of-60 (.567) against the Bearkats. Tech recorded a 30-point quarter, the second time doing so this year, as they put up 30 in the fourth period. The Lady Raiders came out firing in the second half as they outscored Sam Houston 52-24 en route to the win. Tech, who is receiving votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll, posted 25 assists for the second game in a row, while making it the third time this season with 20+ in a game.
Sam Houston began the first quarter strong after they opened the game on a 7-2 run, with Chevalier scoring a layup at the 8:55 mark and Shavers scoring a fadeaway jumper to stop the run. The Bearkats went ahead by a 15-6 score until Maupin knocked down a 3-pointer. The Lady Raiders closed out the quarter on a 5-0 run when Maupin added another one from beyond the arc and Chevalier scored a layup with two seconds left as Sam Houston led 19-15.
Shavers opened the second period with a 3-pointer to come within a point of the ‘Kats. Sam Houston answered with a three of their own, but Tech would go on a 7-0 run sparked by a Shavers jumper to take a 25-22 lead, their first lead of the game. Shavers kept her momentum as she had an and one on a 3-point shot to pick up four quick points for the Lady Raiders at the 7:00 minute mark. Freshman Kelly Mora came into the game and immediately made an impact after getting the and one on a fastbreak layup. Ukkonen made another 3-pointer for the Lady Raiders, then the team connected with five more free throws to lead 41-36 heading into the half.
Texas Tech outscored the Bearkats early in the third quarter after Maupin put up a free throw and Freelon added four more points for a 46-40 advantage. Halfway through the period, the Lady Raiders went on a 12-0 run over almost three minutes of play, highlighted by back-to-back Freelon fastbreak layups with a Maupin assist on both. Tech ended the quarter with an and one play from Loghan Johnson as she converted the three-point play to give the Lady Raiders the 63-46 advantage.
Senior Jordyn Merritt kept things going for the Lady Raiders as she got the first points of the final quarter with a layup. Tech then went on a 6-0 run when Ukkonen, Freelon and Maupin connected with some jumpers. At the 5:53 mark, Ukkonen hit a big 3-pointer to give Tech the 78-55 advantage, then Freelon sparked yet another Texas Tech run, this time helping the Lady Raiders win 12-straight points. In the last minute, Chevalier hit a 3-pointer to increase Tech’s lead as the Lady Raiders won, 93-60.
QUOTES
Head coach Krista Gerlich
On increasing intensity and defensive rebounding in the second half…
“Sixteen of those (offensive rebounds) came in the first half and I think that it was our intensity level. (Sam Houston) plays really hard, we tried to tell them that. We thought after the first shot, the way it appeared to me, that we were hoping it wasn’t going in instead of blocking out and making sure that we got the rebound. So, I think that we learned a hard lesson and did a much better job in the second half. I think also switching to the zone a little bit, because we were in foul trouble, and clogging up the paint a little bit more allowed us to have more bodies inside.”
On the aggressiveness of Sam Houston…
“I thought our kids grew up again during the game. It seems to me that they’re having to learn in the first quarter how to combat that pressure and that intensity level and just people coming after you. As we get into the Big 12, that’s not going to happen. I mean, we’re not going to be able to make comebacks like that, if we dig ourselves into a hole. So, I thought that our kids stayed together, which I think they do really well. I think that they are very coachable, and I think that they listen to us as coaches. They might not understand when we throw the ball up exactly how intense it’s going to be, but they figure it out in a hurry. So, I felt like we just had more composure. We started rebounding the ball better and we started playing defense, and when you can get stops, then you don’t have to face their press.”
#2 Kilah Freelon
On a perfect shooting night and how she put herself in the position to do so…
“A lot of it comes from knowing my teammates. I’ve figured out where the small places are that I can pop into and work in. Knowing your teammates helps a lot with that.”
#20 Bailey Maupin
On what she did differently distributing the ball tonight…
“I just found open teammates. Kilah did a great job running and opening the floor for everybody and that made my job a whole lot easier.”
UP NEXT
The Lady Raiders are playing in their last home game before heading to Hawaii when they host the Incarnate Word Cardinals for Education Day on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the United Supermarkets Arena.
–TECH–
Release Provided by Casey Montalvo Texas Tech Athletics
