In 2011, Texas Tech and Houston clashed in non-conference
play with the Lady Raiders walking away with a 30-point blowout victory winning
88-58.
Fast forward to present day, a lot of things have changed
for both programs, but when the final buzzer sounded inside the United Spirit
Arena on Sunday, the Cougars looked up at the scoreboard to see yet another
30-point loss to the Lady Raiders, 86-56.
In the victory, the Lady Raiders (10-2) had a balanced
attack as every single player, that was active, scored and four Tech players
reached double digits.
“What they all have to understand is that they are all going
to get called upon,” Tech head coach Kristy Curry said following the game. “Everybody
that’s on the bench has a chance to impact the game, and everybody that’s on
the floor that starts has a chance. So I think we know together it’s going to
take all of us. I was pleased with the way they all showed up and played
today.”
Senior Casey Morris led the way for the Lady Raiders scoring
13 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field, while Christine Hyde, 12, Chynna Brown, 11, and Kelsi Baker, 10, joined her in the double-digit club.
It marked the eighth game out of Baker’s last nine where the
junior has reached double-digits in scoring.
For Houston (5-7), it was a much different story as the
Cougars were only able to get one player into double-digits, Jessieka Palmer
scoring 13, while their leading scorer Porsche Landry scored only eight points,
all of those coming in the first half.
This performance is a lot different than the one Houston
gave before the Christmas break, in a 74-61 victory against Texas State, the
Cougars had three players score in double digits, with two, Alecia Smith and
Landry, scoring in the 20s, 24 and 21, respectively.
Houston head coach Todd Buchanan said the kind of
performance he saw from his team on Sunday was definitely not the one expected
following such a solid game heading into the break.
“It’s just disappointing,” he said. “I just expected so much
from my group. We battled through so many things, trials and tribulations over
the last two weeks. To come here after getting a great win at home before
Christmas, to come here and not really compete the way I wanted them to
compete, really the second half, but certainly the last 15, 12 minutes.”
With another non-conference slate in the books, the Lady
Raiders look towards No. 14/13 Oklahoma State and the opening of Big 12
Conference play on Wednesday in Stillwater, 0klahoma.
Last season, Tech opened conference play at home with a 58-53
victory against the Cowgirls, and now looks to have the same success on the
road.
Morris said they just have to keep doing what they have been
doing all season and are a much more experienced team heading into conference
play this time around.
“I think if we just go in and be excited like we are, I
think we’ve been playing with good chemistry, and just building off the
preseason,” she said. “We have a team that’s has a lot of seniors. I think
we’re all mature and we’re ready to play and we know what it’s like to go into
conference. We’re all excited and that’s good and that’s going to work to our
advantage.”