Coatney's Call: Texas Tech Game Preview (Jan. 26)

The largest home crowd to ever see a Nebraska women’s basketball game (13,303) and a national television audience was witness to NU’s school-record 17th consecutive win Saturday afternoon. 6-2 senior All-American candidate Kelsey Griffin posted her ninth double-double of the season and 29th of her career with 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Huskers knocked off Kansas State 71-56. 5-8 senior guard Yvonne Turner added her third-straight 20 point performance by tying her career high with six three-pointers.

With the win, NU remained one of one of only two undefeated teams in the nation and extended it’s Big 12 Conference record of season-opening victories to 17. Nebraska received its highest ever ranking in the Associated Press poll Monday afternoon when they moved up one spot to 6th. NU has started Big 12 play 4-0 for the first time ever, but they will be severely tested Wednesday night when they travel to Lubbock, Texas to face the Texas Tech Lady Raiders. Dating back to 1985, Nebraska is winless in seven tries against Tech in Lubbock.

Texas Tech is 13-5 this season overall, but has only won one of their first four league contests. After losing at Oklahoma, Tech defeated Colorado in Lubbock and had a six point lead at home over Texas with under 30 seconds remaining in the first overtime period, but squandered the lead and eventually lost. The Lady Raiders fell 69-54 Saturday afternoon at Texas A&M.

6-3 sophomore center Kierra Mallard was named to the 2009 Big 12 All-Freshman team. She leads the team in scoring (13.9 ppg) and is second in rebounding (7.7 rpg). Mallard leads the team with 46 blocked shots. 5-11 senior forward Ashlee Roberson leads the team in rebounding (9.1 rpg) and is third in the Big 12 behind Kelsey Griffin and Oklahoma’s Amanda Thompson.

Roberson is second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and has posted back-to-back 20-point games, including 22 in Saturday’s loss at Texas A&M. 6-0 senior guard Jordan Murphree leads the team in three-pointers (20) and is third on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg). Murphree scored a team-high 18 points and added four triples in Tech’s 62-56 loss to Nebraska in Lincoln last season. She was scoreless Saturday at A&M, a game in which she was saddled with foul trouble. 5-6 senior guard Timila Martin ranks 26th nationally in free throw percentage (87.7 pct) and adds 8.6 ppg. 5-6 freshman point guard Monique Smalls rounds out Tech’s probable starting lineup. She has started every game and leads the team in assists and averages 5.8 ppg.

Fourth-year Lady Raider head coach Kristy Curry is 61-52 in her tenure in Lubbock. Prior to replacing coaching legend Marsha Sharp at Tech, Curry won 179 games in seven years at Purdue and took the Boilermakers to the 2001 National Championship game.

Texas Tech leads the all-time series 13-3, but Nebraska broke a 12-game losing streak last season in Lincoln with a 62-56 victory on Valentine’s Day. The Huskers are 0-7 all-time against Tech in Lubbock.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska Women’s Basketball on the Husker Sports Network. Our radio broadcast Wednesday night at Texas Tech begins with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on KFGE 98.1 FM (Froggy 98) in Lincoln, KTWI 93.3 FM (Twister 93.3) in Omaha, KRVN 880 AM in Lexington and is available to our entire 21-station radio network. All Husker Women’s Basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com. I hope you can join us.

Go Big Red! Matt

#6 Nebraska at Texas Tech
Date: Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Time: 7:00 p.m.(CST)
Site: Lubbock, Texas
Arena: United Spirit Arena
Nebraska Radio:
Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-Play-by-Play; Jeff Griesch-Color Analyst) ?98.1 KFGE-Lincoln (Froggy 98), 93.3 KTWI-Omaha (Twister 93.3), 880 KRVN-Lexington and available to our entire 21-station radio network.
Internet: Live Radio on Huskers.com