Late free throws seal Lady Raider fate against LCU
Brittany Hampton caught a glance of the game clock as she watched Jordan Murphree sink a desperate 3-point shot to cut Lubbock Christian’s six-point lead to three.
Lubbock Christian University's Brittany Hampton takes a shot in front of Texas Tech's Kierra Mallard during the teams' exhibition game Monday night at United Spirit Arena. Hampton scored 22 points as NAIA's LCU beat NCAA Division I Tech, 71-65.
Surely, she thought, the Lady Raiders wouldn’t send her to the free-throw line yet again. But return she did, along with teammate Ashley Coggins, and together they went 3-of-4 to seal the Lady Chaparrals’ 71-65 win Monday night in a women’s basketball exhibition game at United Spirit Arena.
“They are bigger, they’re faster, they’re more athletic, but we just tried to use that against them and get to the line where we get good shots,” Hampton said. “We’re all good shooters and know we can put it in.”
Texas Tech's Lindie Kimbro tries to smack the ball away from Lubbock Christian University's Brandi Raindl during their exhibition game Monday night at United Spirit Arena. LCU won, 71-65.
Lubbock Christian finished 44.4 percent from the field and a whopping 86.7 percent from the free-throw line. Hampton was just 3-of-5 field-goal shooting, but made all 15 of her foul shots (she hasn’t missed one through four games).
Even though she could see the scoreboard through the glass of the backboard during her last two free throws with .5 seconds remaining, she calmly drained them both.
“It’s two free points,” she said. “Might as well get them added to the stat sheet. And I thought it was fitting to make the last two, to end it well for us and the way we’d played the entire night.”
LCU coach Steve Gomez said he wasn’t surprised to see his team finish better than it started. Texas Tech owned a 17-4 lead after a little more than seven minutes, but LCU rebounded to make it 18-17 Lady Chaps with 7:11 to play in the first half. The Lady Raiders went on a 14-5 run to regain an eight-point lead with 2:23 to go, but led by just one at the half.
Texas Tech coach Kristy Curry said her team played frustrating defense.
“Obviously we got out-rebounded,” she said; Tech had 29 boards to LCU’s 40. “I thought we didn’t do a very good job on the glass. I thought they really hurt us inside on the offensive boards. I thought early and often we didn’t do a very good job in transition defense and gave up some layups. We missed switches defensively.”
Curry said she called Gomez to schedule the exhibition game because she knew LCU (2-1) would be a formidable opponent. She called the Lady Chaps well-coached and fundamentally sound, and said she preferred to be tested against a good team than blow someone else out by 30.
Tech struggled offensively as well, particularly with its perimeter shooting. Gomez said in scouting he knew the Lady Raiders were a solid outside shooting team, and was surprised when they finished just 25-of-66 from the field and 6-of-26 from the 3-point line. He also expected Tech to use more dribble penetration.
But the much smaller LCU players frustrated Tech’s posts, knocking them out of rhythm on shots. They sagged back on center Kierra Mallard, forcing her to finish a disappointing 4-of-9 from the floor.
While the game counts on neither team’s record, it could be a big boost for LCU, which lost its season opener to Abilene Christian 81-61 before winning back-to-back 100-point scoring games at home.
“We can win every game we play, but at the same time we’re probably not going to go undefeated,” Gomez said. “But we have confidence we can win every game, and we should.”
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Well Coach Curry is in her fourth year now. She loses an exhibition game to a NAIA school that had lost its first game to a Division II school. How far down must the Lady Raiders fall before we get rid of her! I can already hear the excuses. We are a young team. Well she has been her long enough. Gary Blair turned around a team with no history of success in less time than Curry has had. I hope she will prove me wrong and we have a good year. I am still unhappy that Coach Curry ran off Natalie Thomas last year. Natalie played on an AAU team that finished 7th in the nation after her senior year. She was by far the best player on that team. Ashley Roberson played at Nationals and was not nearly the player that Natalie was. Natalie was never given the opportunity to play at Tech. She was an all state player that led her team to the 4a state finals her senior year. She was on an academic scholarship from her hometown. She was not costing Curry anything, but she told her she was not needed. There were two girls on Natalie’s AAU team that play for Abilene Christian which beat LCU earlier this year. Neither of these girls were as good as Natalie. Natalie would be a senior this year and would have been a great player if given the opportunity. She turned down scholarships from Missouri and Rice, because she wanted to play for Tech. My daughter played on Natalie’s AAU team for seven years and I saw Natalie dominate Ashley Lindsey the starting post for UT for years. I encouraged her for years to consider Tech. I was so happy she went there, but now I wish she would have gone to Rice or Missouri. She had division one talent that Coach Curry squandered. I am a 1980 grad and will always love all Tech teams, but I find it hard to cheer for the Lady Raiders as long as Coach Curry remains the head coach.
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How lame and sad
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Did I just read this right? Our Lady Raiders got beat by LCU. This is the same LCU that is located down 19th Street? Is there something I’m missing here? Did we play all our players or was it just the incoming freshman. Please tell me something to make me feel better about this loss and dismiss it. I know it’s early in the season, but it’s also early for LCU. I live in San Antonio and if I’m not mistaken the Lady Raiders play Tennessee here. I was hoping for a respectable game….guess not, long season ahead.
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Looks like the Bye Bye Kristy Curry year is finally here.
Looks like the best women’s college coach in Lubbock is not at Texas Tech, but at LCU making a lot less money.
This is just pathetic, sad and inexcusable. The players should be as ashamed as the coaching staff.
12th place in the Big 12 will get everyone of you fired.
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It’s convenient to know the Lady Raiders’ season is over before it starts. It’s like Sugar Ray Robinson said after his last fight: “Your best days are not always ahead of you.”
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I’m not saying it’s not disappointing but Coach Curry diserves some credit for scheduling the game in the first place. She’s smart enough to know what the risks are scheduling this game. It’s a nothing to lose game for LCU who no doubt was sky high getting to play against a Big 12 team from the same city, in the USA. Can’t get much better than that. I say cut Coach Curry some slack and give her a little credit for trying to do something good for her team. I’m sure they’ll learn from this and get better. I’m happy for LCU and would like to see them win the rest of their games but I doubt they would beat Tech if they played again. Here’s to success for both teams!
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WOW – it is going to be a long year when TTU can’t beat LCU. Bye Kristy – it’s time for you to go.
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You folks forget that not all the talent in the country makes it to D1 schools. Lots of talented young people from small, rural schools or those who are overshadowed by someone with name recognition in their school never get the chance at D1 due to lack of notice. Just because LCU is a smaller school in a smaller conference doesn’t mean there is less talent. This is not the first time LCU has outplayed Tech, either. Several years ago Coach Sharp invited LCU to scrimmage her girls and the Lady Raiders were set back on their heels then. Don’t count Tech out; they were beaten by a very talented group.
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Rather than bashing Tech, how about congratulating LCU. I had the honor of coaching with Steve Gomez and know for a fact that he gets the most out of his players. Congratulations to LCU and Coach Gomez!
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Inexcusable loss. What has happened to Tech sports other than football, track and cross-country?
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One would expect the Lady Raiders to win this game. At the same time, it does not matter. The purpose of the game is served. The team has a bench mark. The girls trying to form a team can see the things, for themselves, that must be accomplished, as a team, to play basketball. That is what they are learning…and look at the roster, they are young as individuals and as a team.
I am finally seeing from this program, recruiting that looks as if it can be Big12 recruiting. That is there are less jc’s being asked to build a Big12 team. I think it makes a difference.
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Obvious this team doesn’t want to work hard and does not have any heart.
You see that every time Kristy Bye-Bye Curry sits down in front of a mic-TV camera.
I would not hire her to coach a high school team after this disaster.
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Considering that LCU Lady Chaps have been to the national tournament for the last few years–and advance to the Elite Eight (at least) each year…maybe some of you aren’t realizing the talent at LCU in athletics.
A baseball team that lost a game last year to Tech 4-3 in a VERY close game…and went on to win a national championship…and a women’s softball team who TOOK our coach who had won a National Championship here in softball as well.
Bottom line…LCU is very talented in NAIA Division I…which actually in talent falls between NCAA DI and DII…
LCU is underrated…congrats to Gomez and the Lady Chaps.
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Congrats to LCU. I don’t think anyone is trying to bash them, they are a talented and well-coached team. Its just that when the Lady Raiders go from NCAA National Champs and Big 12 Champs in the 90’s to where the program is now, its frustrating. At least is was just an exhibition game.
Wreck ‘em
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typo *is = it
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When Kristy Curry came from Purdue I thought that we had the new blood and talent in a coach that would push this program even further than Marsha Sharp, but my God, how wrong I was! I am already sick to my stomach imagining all of her lame excuses for the losses this team will have this season. Wherever in the world I have lived, I always remain a Red Raider fan, and I have stayed up at all kinds of weird hours to watch on the internet the Lady Raiders. I miss those days when I knew that this program would be a jewel of the athletic department. We have gone from being one of the most relevant teams on a national level to the cellar of our own league. Four years is enough of this “coach.” We can only blame horrible seasons on poor recruits for so long, and then it really does become a matter of leadership. Curry has been the biggest coaching disaster in years at Texas Tech, unless we include women’s volleyball. If she cannot produce a great season, she needs to pack up her two kids, and her incompetent side-kick husband/coach and move elsewhere. I am sick and tired of losing, losing, losing, when Baylor, Iowa State, and Kansas State keep winning. Almost every program has improved except Tech. A loss to LCU???? Unbelievable!!!!
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I am a HUGE Texas Tech fan. Huge ~ and I’m quite vocal about it as well. Love my Red Raiders. I was born in Lubbock, have family in Lubbock, and many, many of my family members graduated from Tech. I know students and faculty from there.
However, I also graduated from LCU in 1988 and am quite proud of my alma mater. I must admit the vast majority of the comments following this article make me angry & disgusted. How about a little credit for LCU?! How about showing some respect? How about showing some class? LCU has had A LOT of success in its sports program and in many other areas. Tech fans, are you really so threatened that you can’t handle some competition from another university in town?! One that has MUCH fewer students, receives MUCH less money, and has a MUCH smaller recruiting base?
Come on, fellow Tech fans. You can do better than this. How about congratulating LCU and Coach Gomez for their win? You can support your team AND</strong> show some class at the same time.
Good job, Chaps! Go get ‘em.
Susan Briggs Thomas
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Deuces Kristi! Some people can coach but can’t play, some can play but can’t coach, and some can’t do either. I hope you had a great internship as the head coach of TTU womens basketball team. There may be an opening as the Smyer ISD Jr High girls basketball assistant coach; you are perfect for the job.
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Recruiting aside (it has not been very good), anyone who saw the game saw a team that has NO offense, lazy defense, horrible rebounding technique, sloppy passing, and a dozen other fundamental flaws that will prevent their ever getting any better. LCU was outmanned at every position athletically, but plays smart, sound fundamental basketball, and the Curry’s got their butts kicked from a coaching standpoint. I saw a total absence of anything resembling decent basketball out of the Lady Raiders except for Roberson’s hustle. Poor technique, poor strategy (if there was ANY) sloppy, lazy defense and a general “don’t give a rats patoo” attitude out of everybody except Roberson, including the coaches. When you came, Coach, you had poor talent, then you had too many Jr. College transfers, now you have too many young kids. I think you have too many EXCUSES.
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LMAO! Curry’s favorite Mac Davis song, “Lubbock In My Rear View Mirror”!
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This is the sad state of affairs Gerald Myers has allowed Texas Tech to fall to considering he keeps coaches he MUST fire (such as Pat Knight and Kristi Curry) and desires to fire coaches he MUST keep (such as Mike Leach).
I have ZERO intentions of allowing Texas Tech to be turned into an Ivy League school as it seems to appear.
If any Tech supporters want any type of success (National Championships, Conference Titles, Awards, Recognition), Gerald Myers and the people in the Athletic Department/Council deemed too incompetent to allow Tech to “play out of a paper bag to save their lives” SHOULD BE FIRED AND ONLY BE ALLOWED TO BE GRATEFUL THEY ARE NOT THAT TRAITOR WHO SHOT UP FORT HOOD!
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Way to go LCU! I listened with disgust at Kristi Curry this morning on the TV and it made me sick the way she was making excuses for her team when she said that you guys were playing like it was a real game and they were playing like it was an exhibition game! Hello!! Aren’t you supposed to play them all like they are a real game?? That is the only way to get better! I am so proud of your team! My son attended an NAIA school – I know it is one of your rival schools, it is SNU, but that is OK! I am still one of your supporters!!! Way to go!!! You should be holding your heads proud today!
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While Gerald Myers may be a nice guy, he has certainly overstayed his post at TTU. He is overseeing programs that are almost completely falling apart. Women’s BB, Men’s BB, Volleyball, Baseball. What’s wrong with us? We used to be at the top of the conference in each of these sports. Coaches need to be held accountable, but somebody has to hold Myers accountable. No one likes to fire coaches, but when it’s necessary it has to be done. The only coach that Myers has been ready to fire is Leach. Need we say more?
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Let’s all tap the brakes and take a deep breath. The Lady Raiders are 0-0 for the season at this point. I am sure the coaching staff has plenty of teaching opportunities accumulated out of this scrimmage. I would prefer this be the wake-up call than when the Big 12 action starts.
I will be in San Antonio supporting them and hope all of you will support them, also. You have short memories. Teams can turn it around as demonstrated by the aggies getting throttled by K-State one week and throttling Tech the next week. (Of course, the Aggies then aggied up and lost to Colorado.)
It is not where you start, it is where you finish, so let’s play out the season and see what the results are before we jump off the ledge, or throw the team over the ledge. I have faith that this is going to be a good season afterall.
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We will be awful again this year – I can tell it already! This is terrible, even in exhibition!
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I don’t remember the Lady Raider ever losing an exibition game. I may be wrong but it has been a very long time if ever.
Afraid this is going to be a long year. Surely this is the last year of Myers et al.
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Obviously none of you people out there really know Coach Curry. Purdue continued to be successful with her recruits after she left. It is very hard to get a player to choose Tech over programs like Tennessee, Duke,UCONN, just to name a few. She recruits the same players but there is no way a player will choose Tech over these programs. The city of Lubbock is located in the middle of nowhere. As far as LCU beating them, who cares it was just a scrimmage. There are better athletes overall at JUCO and DII schools because they didn”t make the grades to go DI. You people making all these comments about “firing” somebody need to stick to your job cause you don’t know Coach Curry’s.
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I love Gomez’s attitude and confidence, they go into games expecting to win. I know Steve’s family, he is a solid Christian as are his brother, sister and parents, therefore, I am very happy for him and his program. Now on to the Tech side, since I am a Tech grad ‘83. Curry has stated the reasons for the loss, effectively her players’ attitude (playing like it was an exhibition) and fundamentals in this game. We will be able to determine the caliber of the players and her coaching ability in how they react in future games. We can then truly evaluate her coaching abilities. If ineffective, then maybe we need to take a page from Tech baseball history and steal the LCU coach. I remember when Larry Hays turned around that program after the poor teams of Kal Segrist. GO TECH!!
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It’s a good thing the Lady Raiders didn’t play the Lady Buffs of WTAM. They would have been beaten down worse than what LCU did to them. The Lady Buffs are at least 15 to 20 points better than LCU. Curry must go! How embarrasing!!!!!
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It is so easy to criticize, blame, and point fingers at those who we think should be punished for our Lady Raiders not winning. Instead of shouting out how bad we are and firing Coach Curry and her staff lets show support by putting our butts in those seats to cheer them on every game so that our Lady Raiders can see that no matter the outcome of a game fans are showing support, especially TECH STUDENTS. If you are going to have the “huevos” to bash our Lady Raiders and coaches then step up and show up to the games and show support. Positive support!!
Hope your nasty comments come back and bite you in the _ _ _ at the end of the season.
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I want to congratulate LCU. My criticism of the Lady Raiders and Coach Curry were not meant to slight LCU. My daughter played AAU with Whitney Wehmyer. She also played for a very short time with Brittany Hampton when Brittany initially went to St. Mary’s University. Both of these girls are excellent players. I do hope the Lady Raiders kick it into a higher gear when the season starts. I wanted to see us play the Lady Vols in San Antonio, but my youngest daughter has a high school game that night. Again congratulations to Coach Gomez and LCU.
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First of all, Congrats to the Lady Chaps and Coach Steve Gomez for a very well played game and victory.
Now For The Rest Of The Story. In 1982 A Young and energetic Marsha Sharp was hired as the Lady Raiders Head basketball coach. She immediately hired Linden Weese as her assistant coach, and the rest of the story goes well untill coach Weese decided to move on to a head coaching job of his on in May of 2005. END OF STORY!
Coach weese was the driving force and sole reason for the Lady Raiders success over the years, and Marsha knew this all too well. The Very next season would be Marsha Sharp’s last and she called it quits at the end of the 2005/2006 season. Marsha’s team began to fall apart and lose games that they should have won. Marsha knew that she could never be the coach that Linden Weese was, so to save face, she resigned. Every one praised Marsha Sharp for being such a wonderful coach to the point that they named a freeway after her, when all along they were praising the wrong coach. Linden Weese never got any of the credit for his coaching of the Lady Raiders.
New Story ; In walks the next embarassment to Texas Tech Sports, Chrisy Curry and her Yes Mam Husband. At Least when Marsha left Tech as coach, she left with a decent record. Sad thing is, it has only gotten worse in the last 3 years. There is no hope at all for this team as long as the Currys’ are in charge of coaching. Lets face it head on here. When a NAIA team beats you soundly in a so called exhibition game that coach curry laughed off as a real game for LCU but just a exhibition for her and her team, it shows the very lack of controll she has or is it, dont have on her team and their Goals to reach for the new year.
The Lady Raiders were obviousy way out coached and out played by a lot lesser of a team than the team that Tech fans came to watch. Nothing personal there to the lady Chaps because they are a tallented team made up of players from small regional schools as well as locals regected by Div 1 colleges. That in itself proves that LCU has a coach that has the skills it takes to get more out of his players than even they knew they could give. Somthing that the Currys’ have no clue to. Not only were theLady Raiders out scored, but out rebounded and out hussled from one end of the court to the other.
Its sad to say this but the facts are the facts, that the Lady Raiders are just a Very Lazy bunch of players that seem to not want to rebound or hurry down the court and don’t seem too worried if they score a bucket or not cause they never take the time to focus at all on what it is that they are tryin to do from one moment to the next. The lady Chaps on the other hand, knew exactly what it was that they needed to do to win and they did just that because they just plainly wanted to win the game. Oh yeah thats right, the Lady raiders didn’t try to win the game cause it wasnt a game to coach Curry and her lazy Raiderettes. Excuse me if i am wrong here, but Isn’t the whole reason for playing a game of any kind, to win the game???
I beleive that the time is no better than the present, to begin looking for a new coach, and quite frankly, theres no two better coaches to begin with than coaches Linden Weese and Steve Gomez. Imagine for a moment, Weese as Head and Gomez as Assistant. Do i hear the National Champion Bells ringing again??? Both would be a dream come true but its more than obvious that with just one of the coaches, the Lady Raiders and Tech would bennifit greatly from their coaching the team, And thats All I have To Say About That….Peace out and as always….WRECK’EM TECH!….Beat OSU!
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Gary Blair was the answer.
Texas Tech alum.
Gerald Myers blew it.
Now we are No. 12 in the Big 12.
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I have to 100% agree with Mike Smith. How on earth can a Big XII team lose to an NAIA team that is mediocre at best? I think Curry has had more than enough time to get settled in and get the program going in the right direction. Instead, we fans are victims of one disappointing season after another as well as one excuse after another. After the loss to LCU, Curry is on record stating that the Lady Raider defense was frustrated. Frustrated? It seems to me that part of the coaches’ job is to recover from frustration and overcome it. This simply did not happen. I am not a big fan of firing coaches, however, the Lady Raiders have a proud tradition that has been tarnished in recent years. We expect to win and if there is a loss, at least be competitive. Losing to an NAIA school by 7 is a complete embarassment to the university. Let’s get a coach in there that can win and win often. We deserve it as a university.
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Mike Smith, you are an idiot. Do some research before you open your mouth.
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On a related note, why did Linden Weese resign in 2005? I know, “to seek a head coaching position”, but he resigned after most positions were filled that year.
Why wasn’t he named the head coach when Sharp resigned?
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Excuse me Knowitall or are you Mr. Coach Curry. When I post after midnight I get confused sometimes. It was Renee Wilson that played for a short time at St. Mary’s and not Brittany Hampton. I guess with a name like Knowitall you never make a mistake. Since you know it all. Is it time for Coach Curry to leave or do we accept mediocrity in the only program that has won a national championship at Tech(Oh but didn’t Rodeo win the national championship, too)? I cannot remember, but I am sure Knowitall has the answer. As I said previously, I hope the Lady Raiders can turn it around and have a great season. If Coach Curry can do that, I will congratulate her and admit that I am an idiot.
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I think everyone needs to calm down and understand it was most of the teams first ever time to play a college game
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You are right Tx Tech Basketball fan . This was the first for most of the team. As some of you may not know, Sharp knew she was on the way out and did not recruit squat prior to retiring. Some of Tech’s best players have gotten hurt prior to or shortly into Curry’s last two seasons. As the old saying goes “You can’t plow a field without the mules”. So all of you want to be coaches need to lay off and get a life, nobody tells you how to do your job.
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People! For Crying Out Loud, are there any of you up there Adults??? Stop acting like a bunch of adolescents with your ridiculous bickering. That means you University Students as well. After all you are supposed to be Adults, or at least you think you are, and for the rest of you, SHAME ON YOU! Everyone has the right to their Opinion, and if you don’t like theirs, then keep your comments on that to yourself and not on here. I know that no one knows who you are on here, but have some respect for your self if that is at all a possibility. No one’s Opinions on here are as ridiculous as your bickering over it all…..DAMN!
Coach Weesse was never approached by the University and asked if he would like to be the next Head Coach, mostly because Marsha Sharpe didn’t decide to resign her coaching position till the end of the 2005/2006 season, and he left in May ‘05. When the oppertunity arrose, he took it and Left Tech, for which I don’t blame him for doing. Im not sure about this and I may be wrong, but I am thinking that there was a inside problem between coach Weese and Gerald Myers at the time and it could have been the very reason he left Tech.
As Always, WRECK’EM TECH and BEAT OSU!
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