Tennessee dominates Lady Raiders
SAN ANTONIO — When Kierra Mallard knocked down a 3-pointer four minutes, 11 seconds into Tuesday night’s game, Texas Tech took a 6-2 lead against one of the most prolific programs in women’s basketball.
Unfortunately for the Lady Raiders, it didn’t last.
Texas Tech's Kierra Mallard, left, drives past Tennessee's Taber Spani, center, and Shekinna Stricklen during the first half of an NCAA preseason college basketball game in San Antonio. (AP)
Tech (1-1) lost 91-53 to No. 6 Tennessee. While the Lady Vols (2-0) built a second-half lead that at one time stretched to 41 points, Mallard’s heroics in the paint helped Tech battle the best efforts of a bigger, stronger, more experienced program.
“I was proud of how Kierra competed,” coach Kristy Curry said. “I thought her mind was really clear tonight and she was focused.”
Mallard led Tech with 15 points and six rebounds, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. That despite playing 30 minutes against a Tennessee frontcourt that kept a constant rotation of fresh legs on the 6-foot-3 sophomore.
Forward Glory Johnson had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting for the Lady Vols. Reserve forward Spani Taber led Tennessee with 18 points. Together five Tennessee post players combined for 55 points, more than Tech’s entire team scored in the game.
Johnson said that high success rate happened because Tennessee had depth Tech simply couldn’t match.
Curry said her team struggled without Shauntal Nobles (sitting out the season after tearing her Achilles tendon), Teena Wickett (waiting to hear about a waiver of the NCAA transfer policy) and Kaylan Talley (did not play Tuesday because of an injury).
“I’m not going to sit here and make excuses. There are a lot of folks across the country who wish they had more size,” Curry said. “I thought (Mallard) really competed.”
Freshman guard Monique Smalls said the crowd at the AT&T center and the players on the court there were both the biggest she’d ever seen. That could have contributed to Tech’s troubles; seven of the 10 Lady Raiders who played are either freshmen or sophomores.
Smalls, who had three points, two assists and four rebounds, said she didn’t handle the atmospheres well.
Texas Tech's Ashlee Roberson, left, and Shauntal Nobles, bottom, fight for a loose ball with Tennessee's Glory Johnson, center, and Alicia Manning during the first half of an NCAA preseason college basketball game in San Antonio. (AP)
“I’ve got to learn what I’ve got to do, understand how to feed Kierra and our post players and give them the opportunity to score,” Small said.
After Mallard’s 3-pointer (her only attempt of the night), Tennessee went on a 10-0 run. Tech did not score for more than four minutes in the middle of the first half. The Lady Raiders shot 18.5 percent from the field and only 50 percent from the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes.
Tennessee, however, was similarly unlucky before the break. The Lady Vols’ field goal percentage jumped almost 10 percent in the second half; its accuracy behind the 3-point line went up 44.8 percent.
“Obviously I thought we were much better in the second half than the first half,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said, “but I liked the intensity overall.”
While the Lady Raiders were down 13 points at halftime, the Lady Vols outscored them 30-4 to open the second period.
Even before they boarded a plan back to Lubbock the Lady Raiders were already watching film, looking for ways to turn the disappointing loss into a positive experience. The long-term goal is to recruit more athletic players and establish the kind of depth Tennessee used against Tech on Tuesday. For now, though, the Lady Raiders will try to build on lessons from the loss.
“This game has been a big learning experience for everybody,” Mallard said. “We’ve got to take this in practice and get better every day.”
To comment on this story:
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com l 766-8735
terry.greenberg@lubbockonline.com l 766-8700
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When a young team like we have starts out a game against a foe such as Tennessee, it is imperative that the head coach shows that young team that someone has their back. Not so for this game. There were critical times starting out where Tenn should have been whistled for several infractions, mainly over the back types and body fouls, but were not. All Coach C could do was sit on her behind and watch. I could understand if this was a senior laden team, but come on. A coach needs to say something to the officials. You could just tell this team was out there on their own.
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This looked like an unprepared high school team that had finished 1-30 the year before playing a defending state champ that was 31-0 the year before.
Four years of this crap and the announcers are talking about how young we are and how we are rebuilding. Geez.
This team and this coaching staff is AWFUL. Can’t even make free throws. It was a victory when we got off a shot without it getting blocked.
Pitiful.
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Fire Curry now! She can’t coach or get the type of players we need to win. It looked like the midgets vs the giants last night. It’s going to be another long year!
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Curry is a disgrace! She makes WAY TOO MUCH money and hasn’t produced anything. It is time for Gerald Myers to find a coach that can recruit nationally and bring some respect back to this program!!!
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The Curry era at Tech was unfortunate. And highly competitive money was paid.
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Excuse me guys, but did marsha sharp ever beat tennesee? nonetheless with 7 freshman? I don’t think so. You have to be patient with 7 freshman. maybe not this year, but these next few years we will start to be pretty good, trust me.
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I doubt that the officials had a lot to do with getting beat by 38 points. Did “poor officiating” cause the loss to LCU? There are no excuses; poor coaching and little talent stand out. The seniors on the team, who are supposed to provide leadership to the younger players, might as well have stayed in the dressing room. Pathetic………………
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Coach Summit was interviewed sometime during the game, which I watched intermidately. She talked about the freshman laden team she floored last season. Coach S has a reputation for being very tough mentally on her players, but her words described the quandry that she felt as she made sure she did not make it too hard on the ‘fragile’ young players, her words not mine.
I saw a lot on the court last night that gives indication that the Lady Raiders have a good basis for building a good basketball team.
We likely will not see it till later in the season.
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We flew down from Fort Worth to San Antonio for the games. It was very embarrassing to watch the LR keep trying to get the ball inside for 3/4 of the game to no avail. When something isn’t working try something else. But then when they tried to shoot from outside, they couldn’t do that either. And they couldn’t shoot freethrows. Why did Tech accept an invitation to be embarrassed on national TV? If a team from Lubbock needed to be there, maybe it should have been LCU or Monterrey or Lubbock High.
I was one of those people who has said to give this staff time to get it turned around, but that game has even convinced me that maybe Gerald needs to put Krista Kirkland Gerlach’ telephone number on his speed dial. Another Tech grad doing a great job somewhere else.
Then we got to watch Texas get their doors blown off also. The Big 12 may be in big trouble this year, except for the Aggies, coached by a Tech grad, Gary Blair. What a disappointment, considering what Gary was able to do with a pathetic Aggie program in TWO years, not five years.
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I know this is a very young team and very raw but the as bright as the future looks for some of these young players what I want to know is “where is the perimeter shooting’? The size is an issue with a lot of teams but you can overcome that. We won a national championship with very little size (See Tech versus Vanderbilt in the Final Four of 93). There is ways to combat that. You need some shooters and I simply don’t see them out there.
That was difficult to watch last night but I hope everyone can support this freshman and sophmore group. Let’s not forget how long it took Marsha Sharp to turn things around. If this class and the incoming class is as good as the experts say, then we’ll see how good Coach Curry is as a coach. We are about to find out. I’m not going to jump on the “Fire Curry” Bandwagon just yet. I’m going to see if I can show some patience and see how this year progresses with this group. The key is to see improvement.
By the way, I don’t think the Lady Longhorns fared much better last night. They didn’t lose by 40 but they were getting beat by more than 20 the last time I checked in the second half and they supposedly have a veteran team and are ranked in the Top 25.
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I have to say that coach Curry needs a another year! This team is really young, and most definitely not on Tennessee’s caliber, even though they have young team too. You people can not expect an over night national champion. Coach Summit has been with Tennessee for 30 years
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Losing to Tennessee is no sin, but not fielding a competitive team after 4 years to establish her mark on the program leaves very little optimism for me. I’m Ok with being patient, and I didn’t expect a return to Final 4 type status, but this team has gotten progressively worse for 4 consecutive years in my opinion, it is a bottom feeder in the Big 12, not even competitive in our own league, and I don’t see any reason to expect that will turn it around.
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I’m ok with being down 30-17 at the break, but to open the second half with a 30-4 Tennessee run is terrible. Even Sharp’s teams were outmatched by the Lady Vols, but she coached tough defense that at least kept the games from getting out of control. Though, women’s basketball still has a big difference between the top tier teams and the rest. UConn beat Texas 83-58.
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Watch the fundamentals folks. Rebounding, passing, setting screens, switching off on defense, proper defensive stance and others. They are NOT there with this coaching staff. Until they start to show up, improvement is impossible. Several have mentioned Gary Blair. I told my brother after the first game Gary coached in the USA that A&M would be a contender in two years and I rest my case. He inherited a program that was abysmal but his effect was immediately visible. This bunch will NEVER produce anything other that what you see now, no matter who they recruit. They cannot, or don’t ,coach “the game” as it has to be played, especially today, in women’s basketball. I became a Lady Raider fan grudgingly but developed a true enjoyment of watching the women play because they are NOT as athletic as the guys and played a purer style of basketball where fundamentals and strategy were more important than size and athleticism. It was there with coach Sharp, she just couldn’t recruit. It has never been there with this staff, even when Brock was here. It will be a long season and a long tenure until Gerald, Kent, or the fans get dissatisfied enough to do something. I wish it were different. I don’t like to get on coaches, but this bunch won’t get ever get the job done.
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How many McD AA’s on this team, not a one, so give them a break!
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What does UT getting beat by UConn have to do with Tech being hammered by Tennessee? Seems that people are always comparing Tech’s major athletic teams to those at UT! There is no way that Tech WILL ever approach the success UT’s programs had/have so why not forget comparing the two. An apple to banana comparison for sure. The only comparison to be made is that they each use the same football, basketball, volleyball, etc. Sure, the football and basketball teams will win against UT now & then but even a blind squirrel finds a pecan now & then.
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Tech has a young team! Of the 13 players on Tennessee’s roster, 7 are sophomores, 3 are freshman, and 3 are juniors. Youth had nothing to do with this loss by Tech; purely a level of talent. Only one question to answer? If I were a McDonald’s All American and were recruited by Tech, UConn, Texas, or Tennessee, where would I sign? Not Tech. Would I rather play for Summitt, Curry, or one of the other 2 coaches. No brainer, not Curry. A mid-level program at its level of success……….
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Quick DELETE the last post before a recuit sees it.
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I can’t tell from reading Courtney’s article — did Shauntal Nobles get hurt in this game? Or at another time? Since a caption with her name is mentioned on one of the photos.
Cany anyone elaborate or clarify this (injury)?
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Leanord, Jordan Murphree was a mcdonalds all american. Get ur facts straight.
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Nobles tore her achilles tendon in practice this past summer, she is out for the year.
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