By Travis Cram | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

This time one year ago, Texas Tech had somewhat of a sour taste in its mouth leaving Fayetteville, Ark., after suffering an 80-57 loss to Arkansas, its final game before Big 12 conference play began.

“The biggest thing for all of us was the plane ride home from Fayetteville,” Tech head coach Kristy Curry said. “I think that kind of set the tone for us at times during conference play. There’s no other motivation we need other than self-motivation and how we felt.”

Things are a little different heading into today’s 2 p.m. matchup with the Razorbacks (11-3) at United Spirit Arena, which will also be the Lady Raiders’ final test before facing No. 4 Texas and No. 3 Texas A&M to start conference play.

Tech (8-4) is coming off maybe its best win of the season after overcoming an early 15-point deficit to beat UCLA, 72-62, on Monday.

Five Tech players scored in double figures for the Lady Raiders, including senior point guard Maria Moore. She tied career-highs in points (18), assists (nine) and rebounds (six).

But one thing that is completely different for her this season is her maturity in game management, leading to fewer turnovers.

“Maria has grown leaps and bounds,” Curry said. “There’s probably no person who has taken more criticism than Maria Moore has. She’s handled it like a champ and she’s continuing to grow and I’m just happy for her, because she’s doing exactly what a point guard needs to do for her team.”

Moore’s averaging nearly five assists and three turnovers per game this season after averaging 3.5 assists and almost four turnovers a year ago. She’s also scoring more – she’s second on the team in points (103) behind senior forward Dominic Seals (160).

She might have had her toughest challenge this season in the win over UCLA. Moore had to try and stay in the game with almost 10 minutes left after she received her fourth foul and Tech trying clinging to a four-point lead. She did, and still managed to come up with two steals in the process.

“I was just thinking I can’t foul and I have to try and keep this girl in front of me,” Moore said, “and just make sure she doesn’t get that next shot off again.”

Moore’s consistency has resonated through the team thus far this season and helped forwards Seals and freshman Kierra Mallard bounce back after Tech’s last loss to New Mexico. Curry said the two tests against a Pac-10 team and SEC squad is exactly what the team needs at this point.

“Athletically it’s exactly what you see in the Big 12,” she said. “It continues to give us momentum at home and teach us how to defend our home court. The bottom line is there’s no better practice and the schedule is designed like that for a reason. Hopefully, when you design that, you want to get some confidence and that only comes through wins.

“But we’ve got to be consistent. Now can we go and put that back-to-back and we haven’t done that, as far as our senior class. So their challenge will be can we go and do that again (today).”

College basketball

• Who: Texas Tech women vs. Arkansas

• When: 2 p.m. today

• Where: United Spirit Arena

• Records: Tech 8-4, Arkansas 11-3

• Last game: Tech 72, UCLA 62; Arkansas 85, Stetson 44

• Radio: KFYO 790 AM/ KKCL 98.5 FM

• TV: None

Cram Session by Travis Cram

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