No. 16 Texas gets redemption, blows past Tech
BY TRAVIS CRAM l AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
AUSTIN — No. 16 Texas was waiting for this one to come up on the schedule.
The Longhorns’ chance to play Texas Tech again after slipping in a 65-62 loss in Lubbock almost a month ago on a controversial foul at the end fueled Texas in its 77-46 win Sunday at the Frank Erwin Center — the Longhorns’ largest margin of victory over the Lady Raiders in 19 years.
“We talked about it,” Texas head coach Gail Goestenkors said. “It was not the way we wanted that game to end. We wanted to redeem ourselves and we were very determined to win this game.”
The 31-point loss was the third-worst in three years at Tech for head coach Kristy Curry.
The Longhorns used their fast-paced transition game, and Tech ran out of bodies early on and was forced to play catchup once again with a Big 12 Conference team.
The Lady Raiders lost for the seventh time in eight tries in Austin, and for the third time in their last six games.
Texas (17-5, 5-3 Big 12) won its third consecutive game to stay in sixth place in the conference standings and a half-game back of No. 10 Texas A&M.
The Longhorns took advantage of Tech in the paint and forced the Lady Raiders to try and guard the 3-point threat, leaving posts Earnesia Williams or Ashley Gayle open and guard Carla Cortijo when she would cut to the basket.
Williams scored a game-high 16 points.
Part of the attention Tech paid to Texas’ perimeter game may have been caused by the Longhorns’ 13 3-pointers against Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
“When you come off a game when you hit so many threes, it extends the defense a little bit,” Goestenkors said. “It allows us to penetrate and go inside to our post players as well. I think that was good for us to have a game like that. … It’s nice to be able to keep people guessing a little bit.”
Texas outscored Tech 40-22 in the paint — the most inside points the Lady Raiders have given up all season.
Tech (13-9, 3-5) failed to turn around the game early after Dominic Seals’ layup made it 16-16 with 10:52 left in the first half, with Texas taking over the rest of the half.
The Longhorns outscored Tech 29-9 the rest of the first half to take 45-25 lead into the locker room.
“I think you just have to give Texas credit for a day like today,” Curry said. “Their energy and work ethic was at a very high level and we weren’t able to match that.”
Tech’s “energy” seemed to mirror past losses to Oklahoma State and Baylor, going cold for long amounts of time and then having to play catchup the rest of the way.
Tech shot just 22.2 percent during the run by Texas and coughed up 12 turnovers in the first half.
Tech matched its lowest rebound total of the season with 32.
The Lady Raiders began to show life at the beginning of the second half with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 45-34. But the Lady Raiders went cold for five more minutes while Texas built its lead back up to 19 points with 12:32 to go.
Tech never got close again and was left to play the final 10 minutes without Seals, who fouled out with eight points and only two rebounds, and without Jordan Murphree the last three minutes.
“They were cutting on us and we were letting them get (through) the back door,” Murphree said. “We weren’t there on the help side when we needed to be there when they did cut. I think it was mainly what we did wrong.”
It was the third time in the last six games Tech lost and shot below 34 percent.
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better luck next year, or next lifetime.
GUINS UP!!! RAIDER POWER!!! WRECK ‘EM!!!
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Well, Glad to see the reporter sees the LACK of energy. At least make a loss look more respectable than losing by 30. What will the excuse be?
1 Lack of Energy
2 Shots not falling
3 Murphree not playing well
You know Curry is so quick to make an excuse and even throw the blame on her players. A good coach is arguing calls aka Pat Knight hehe…and coaching alot during the game…All Curry has is heel marks on her rear from crouching during the game and sitting around. We need to charge her a ticket to the games because she is a spectator instead of a coach that just happens to have a good court side seat if there is such a thing as a good seat at a Lady Raider game nowdays. She better do something because fans don’t want to pay their hard earned money to see a crappy team lose all the time. If energy is the problem why don’t we as fans buy energy drinks and deliver them to Curry and the players at the next home game. At least we can take away her primary excuse. Curry you are a shame to TECH go back to Purdue or anywhere but here. Pack your things and you and your husband and kids take a permanent vacation. I’m sure a rich Tech donor would even pay you to go away!!!!! DISSAPEAR YOU ARE NOT WANTED!!!!!
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Jus tto clarify I don’t think the team is “crappy”, but with the coach they have they play ” crappy “
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Stick a fork in Kristy Curry as a big-time coach. She’s done.
This team is a joke.
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I just don’t have the “energy” to comment about this mess.
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They are a real spectacle.
Say what you will, AD Myers keeps her contract nice & tidy. No messy jawing here at women’s basketball contract time.
Curry fits the budget and gives the salutes. How loyal she is!
Now don’t tell me Tech fans could want anything else (like winning too)? Decide what’s important Tech fans.
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Everyone who cares about Lady Raider basketball is disappointed, probably no more so than the coaching staff ; however I think Coach Curry and her staff deserve another year and another recruiting class to get this turned around. They have made some mistakes, but if they have signed some difference makers for next year, they deserve to play with them for a year. If there is no improvement after four years, then it is what it is, and it will be time for a change. It is way past time for some of the players to step up and be leaders, though. Let’s support them for now.
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ttraider: most of the posters here are addressing the seasons past and games past – not just last nite’s UT game.
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Coach Curry had a great resume when she got here. She took over a “once proud big time program”. It was not that way when she finally got it. It will take awhile to get it back to where we are on the rise no matter who is the coach. It’s called recruiting and it just don’[t come back overnite. I see progress in her recruiting and I think we will see progress as these recruites gain a little more experience. Give her a little more time and support!!!!
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That’s what Tech athletics is here for, apparently.
Time and support for whoever we hire.
You get the results you’re comfortable with. Less expectations = less success.
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As fans, we all want all of our teams to be competitive enough to win at least half of their conference games and make the postseason playoffs or bowls a common and reasonable goal. It is hard to see the two basketball teams in these obviously ‘down’ years. I agree that both basketball staffs need more time to improve the overall talent so they can place competitive teams on the court. We all just need to continue to support and urge on the teams we now have. The players are working hard to improve, but without fan support, they will feel it is all to no avail, because they want to be successful and for the fans to be there just as much as the fans want them to be successful and want to attend competitive games. Sometime the teams will do well, soetimes not, but the fanbase must continue to offer support. The players deserve that much.
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And I hope ‘fans’ like Bubba are few and far between. I don’t like his remarks and I am sure the team is hurt by them, unless they simply blow off his remarks as a bunch a baloney, which they are.
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Tech’s next recruiting class is ranked No. 24 by ESPN
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MARSHA PLEASE COME BACK…
THE LADY RAIDERS HAVE TAKEN A NOSE DIVE SINCE YOU LEFT COACHING………PLEASE COME BACK
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Thanks LKP…..You are apparently fine with losing. I do Support the team….not the coach. She is the wrong fit for Tech. All she offers is excuses and never says ” I just didn’t coach them well” if there was some sort of remorse that she has shown, but it is all just blame shifting. If you were at your job and you had somebody that drug everything down would you keep them 3 years? If so I’m sure you would go broke and have a high turnover rate. 3 years and no measurable results. Im not a bad fan I call it like I see it. You are a good fan and alot of people are good fans so please don’t question my support for the team just the coach. I personally think there is alot of talent there except for Maria Moore just need a better coach to harness it. If Curry wants to baby her kids that’s fine, but at Tech her player’s need to be disciplined and taught. She gets paid and so do they to put out nothing but their best and quite honestly if you watch the games it is far from their best effort as is hers.
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I know curry isn’t doing a great job but she hasn’t had time to get in recruits!!! Sharp left the cubbard empty and she left it empty when the big 12 had become by far the hardest conference in womens basketball!!!! Now that all the teams in Texas are good techs womens basketball as far as recruiting has become like football here meaning the talent would rather go to baylor , a&m and texas. And that isn’t curry, that was a pattern that started the last 4 years marsha sharp was here and sharp realized that and got out!!! Curry, if u have really watched has actually been taking babysteps to get this program better and has slowly started to improve with juco transfers so my guess is with 4 year players it will vastly improve!!! also dont forget she still has a chance to make the tournament !! but in my opinion she has done far better than the mens side!!!!!
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You would think if the players knew why they were getting shelled, the coach would know as well. If the coach knew what was wrong, why didn’t she “coach” the girls into making changes. If my players on the floor were shooting about 22%, be darned if I wouldn’t put someone else in!
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Freddie, you’re much much too direct for this posting venue.
We just like attaboys, er, attagirls, for all the coaches and players, & then you’re supposed to close with “GUNS UP, or RAIDER POWER, or WRECK ‘EM”.
The fans and teams are easily hurt, and you’re hurting the whole school if you do anything but praise them. (they’re easily hurt). We’re all very sensitive here, please help protect us.
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Thank you poot pie. We like lady raider basketball and is why we expect nothing but being the best
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In all honesty, with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 teams, women’s college basketball is about as exciting as watching jello harden in the frig!!!! Wreck Em, Guns Up, Raider Power, whatever.
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HOOK EM HORNS
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We need some BIG Post players.. or next year is going to be really ugly.
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What I love about women’s basketball. (And Hook ‘em Horns, your team ain’t that good). I love seeing post girls get a pass under the basket and automatically put it on the floor instead of going up for the shot … there are three sets of Kansas State hands on that ball as it goes to the floor. These girls just don’t understand basketball and can’t be coached to comprehend.
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I do like to watch the more shapely young lady players on tv. especially the bench close-ups & fights & tempers.
Very exciting. and Freddie, speaking of jello, well, i better not go there.
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UR Tech woman’s coach does not recruit at a high level..
Her Asst.s look for the Juco route – instead of going after those tough kids who can bring it in the paint.
Good Luck L Raiders.. Ur gonna need it.
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