Christine Hyde scored a career-high 16 points and Marissa Ashton racked up 11 – all in the first half – to snap the Lady Raiders’ four-game losing streak and send them to the second round of the tournament at Wyoming.

“It’s like I tell them,” coach Kristy Curry said, “their 2010-11 season started this week. We’ve got to understand that the future is incredibly bright if we make it bright. I’m really proud of them for finding a way to win. That’s something that they all bring, that winning mentality. They expect to win.”

Ashton hasn’t seen as much playing time since Kierra Mallard returned from suspension on Feb. 21. But the 6-foot forward returned to the game with less than eight minutes left in the first half and scored nine points, including a 3-pointer that instigated Tech’s rally.

Hyde scored 14 of her team-high 16 points in the second half. She was 10-of-13 from the free-throw line and grabbed seven rebounds.

Since becoming a full-time starter on Feb. 10, Hyde is averaging 7.6 points per game. Her performance Thursday was no surprise to Houston assistant coach Wade Scott, who was filling in for Joe Curl. Curl was hospitalized Thursday because of a recurring heart ailment.

“I watched Christine play when she was in high school,” Scott said. “I knew what she was capable of doing. To her credit she came out here and had a great night. She went to the basket, got fouled, put some of our players on the bench. She did what she normally does.”

Second chances

When Tech returned to practice after its disappointing 59-51 loss to Kansas State at the Big 12 tournament, Curry circled two columns on the box score: points off turnovers and second-chance points.

Those two deficiencies had been at the heart of Tech’s struggles during the final two weeks of the season.

The Lady Raiders out-scored the Cougars 24-7 on second chance points after having failed to even reach double figures in the category in their four previous games, all losses.

Tech’s 24 second-chance points were a season high. The Lady Raiders collected 16 offensive rebounds, four of which came from Jordan Barncastle.

The sophomore forward played her best game since returning from a nasal fracture she suffered after being punched by Brittney Griner on March 3. Barncastle was no longer wearing the mask she needed last week at the Big 12 tournament and scored 12 points with six rebounds, one shy of a season high.

She also made some strong moves to the basket in collecting her three close-range field goals.

Murphree may be out

Senior Jordan Murphree missed her first game of the season Thursday with recurring back pain that has troubled her for the better part of the season.

Curry said there is no timeline on her return to the lineup, and Murphree might have to sit out the next game of the WNIT if the pain hasn’t subsided.

“The last three weeks her back has really bothered her and she’s continued to fight through it,” Curry said. “She’s in a real fix. She’s had a lot of problems the last three weeks. She hasn’t used it as an excuse and neither have we, but you can tell she’s been playing straight up and been pretty stiff.

“It’s something she had trouble with over last season and continued to hamper her at certain times with certain movements. She can’t even bend over and tie her shoe right now.”

Murphree, who averages 12.3 points a game, scored five against Missouri on March 7 and eight points against Kansas State on March 11.

To comment on this story:

david.just@lubbockonline.com l 766-8736

courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com l 766-8735

All the Texas Tech senior wanted was to play in Thursday’s Women’s National Invitation Tournament game. But with the motion of simultaneously bending over and pushing off during Wednesday’s practice, Murphree’s chances at playing fell alongside her.

For almost two full seasons, Murphree has battled persistent back pain. Some days, it’s a simple annoyance lingering in the background. Some days, it hinders her motion, making her movements stiffer than she’d like.

On Thursday, it kept her off the court for what almost became the final game of her career.

“You manage it, but being an athlete you’re going to have bumps and bruises and you’re going to fight through that,” Murphree said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

Texas Tech’s 80-77 win against Houston bought Murphree another opportunity to hit the court. The Lady Raiders will play again early next week, and Murphree hopes to suit up rather than watching the game while wearing street clothes and sitting on the far end of the bench.

Murphree’s career has been as erratic as her pain. She came to Tech as a McDonald’s All-American, and if she never scores another point will leave as the school’s 15th all-time scoring leader. Until Thursday, she’d started every game of her senior season.

Yet coach Kristy Curry has called her out after games as needing to contribute more on the court. Murphree followed a career-high 29-point night against Texas on Jan. 16 by going scoreless at Texas A&M a week later. She averages 12.3 points per game but has totaled just 13 in her last two games, not the kind of numbers any player wants to put up as they end a career.

Part of that can be blamed on her back. She injured it in November 2009 and says she’s been a little cautious ever since, knowing the wrong move could lead to a career-ending injury.

Sometimes the pain is tolerable. Sometimes it’s excruciating.

“It’s every type of pain you can think of,” Murphree said. “It’s in my back, and you use your back for most of your core stability, bending over, pushing off, landing, every type of activity. You don’t realize how much you use your back.”

But is it as painful as watching your last college game from the bench? Murphree said after the game that she put faith in her teammates, knowing they’d pull off the win to help her continue her career. That’s a nice thing to say, particularly after it happens. But how hard must it be to stand on the sidelines, knowing four years could end with a first-round loss in a second-tier tournament, all because the pain became too much to bear?

No rec league player likes that prospect. Think how much harder it is in Big 12 Conference basketball.

Freshman Christine Hyde, who led Tech with 16 points, said after the game that she feared Murphree would feel guilty if the Lady Raiders lost without her on the court.

“I didn’t want her to sit out and feel like we lost the game because she wasn’t there to help us,” Hyde said. “It wasn’t just me. Everybody stepped up and said, ‘Jordan’s out. Let’s play for her and win this game.’”
Which, of course, is what they did. And now, with enough time and a little luck, the pain could subside enough for Murphree to return before the second round starts.

“You definitely want to be on that court,” Murphree said, “but you’ve got to think your team has your back.”
Even when your back doesn’t.

To comment on this story:
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com l 766-8735
terry.greenberg@lubbockonline.com l 766-8700

Texas Tech showed off its future Thursday night at United Spirit Arena, and in the process picked up an 80-77 victory against Houston in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

Playing without senior Jordan Murphree, who was out with an ailing back, the Lady Raiders were sluggish out of the chute. They didn’t hit a field goal through the first seven minutes of the game and trailed 32-16 with six minutes left in the half.

At that point, Tech coach Kristy Curry decided to let her youth play, putting freshmen Monique Smalls,
Chynna Brown, Marissa Ashton and Christine Hyde on the floor with sophomore Jordan Barncastle. In the final six minutes of the half, that lineup went on a 13-5 run to narrow the deficit.

Tech's Christine Hyde, right, steals the ball from Houston's Roxana Button during Thursday's WNIT game. Hyde led the Lady Raiders with 16 points. (Geoffrey McAllister/Avalanche-Journal)

Texas Tech's Christine Hyde, left, and Jordan Barncastle, right, battle for a rebound with Houston's Courtney Taylor during their women's NIT game Thursday at United Spirit Arena. The Lady Raiders won, 80-77. (Geoffrey McAllister/Avalanche-Journal)

Ashton scored six of her 11 points during a three-minute span and sent the Lady Raiders to halftime down by eight.

“I just wanted to win,” said Ashton, adding that it was the best run she’s had this season. “I just wanted to put some points on the board offensively and continue to get better.

“I was just feeling it tonight. I felt like I could make it.”

Curry stuck with that young lineup to open the second half, and the momentum stayed with Tech. The first eight minutes of the half belonged to the Lady Raiders, who took their first lead, 49-48, when Ashlee Roberson sank a layup at the 12:13 mark. Tech lost the lead briefly two possessions later, but never trailed again.

“This was an invaluable experience for us,” Curry said afterward. “We fight through so much adversity. There’s no way you can teach to fight through adversity if you don’t have some success at the end of it.”

The Lady Raiders will next face the winner of the Wyoming-Nevada game, which is scheduled to be played at 8 p.m. CT today. The location and date for the second-round game have not yet been determined.

Tech roared to a nine-point lead after Hyde sank two free throws to cap a 15-2 run. Hyde finished with a career-high 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half.

Much of that success came from the free-throw line. When Houston’s Brittney Scott scored 13 points in the final 90 seconds to keep the Cougars close, the Lady Raiders had to hit their free throws — something that hasn’t come easy for them all season.

Tech was a 65 percent free-throw shooting team entering the game, but Hyde, Barncastle and Tilmila Martin hit four each in the final minute. The Lady Raiders made 13 consecutive free throws to finish the game.

“It’s great to see their hard work,” Curry said. “We spend a lot of time shooting them and it paid off tonight.”

Roberson sank a layup with 1:25 left in the game that gave the Lady Raiders a 68-64 lead. On Houston’s next possession, Scott drove the lane and collided with Smalls, who was called for a blocking foul.

Roberson, who played only 21 minutes — matching a season low — screamed out a four-letter word guaranteed to land a player a technical foul. It did, and Scott then sank four consecutive free throws to tie the game.

Curry called the foul a “poor decision.” The Lady Raiders didn’t hit any more field goals, but sank the 12 free throws they needed to preserve the win. Roberson finished the game with 11 points and six rebounds.

The Lady Raiders credited their comeback to the noisier-than-usual crowd at the arena. Though the number of fans in attendance — 2,663 — was not significantly more than the Lady Raiders have averaged this season, the fans were seated lower in the arena and the noise was significantly louder on the court.

“The crowd helped a lot,” Hyde said. “You’re always looking for momentum. Coach (Curry) says the best motivation is self motivation, but sometimes it’s always good to have the crowd behind you. Sometimes you need that push.”

To comment on this story:
david.just@lubbockonline.com uE06C 766-8736
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com uE06C 766-8735

The Lady Raiders were down 32-16 with 6:12 left in the first half when coach Kristy Curry decided to let her freshmen and sophomores run the court. Using a lineup of Chynna Brown, Christine Hyde, Monique Smalls, Marissa Ashton and Jordan Barncastle, Tech went on a 13-5 run to close out the half.

Curry stuck with that lineup to open the second half and it continued to produce. Eight minutes into the second half, Ashlee Roberson sunk a layup that gave Tech a 49-48 lead — the team’s first of the game.

The momentum stayed with the Lady Raiders, who led by as much as nine. But Houston still had some fight left. Brittney Scott scored 13 points in the final 1:17 to keep the Cougars down only a possession.

Tech had trouble hitting free throws early, but made its last 13 in a row to keep Houston at bay.

The Lady Raiders will face the winner of Wyoming and Nevada, which will be played tomorrow.

More from the Chronicle:

“A UH official confirmed this morning that Curl experienced discomfort on the team flight to Lubbock and went into the hospital on Wednesday. Assistant coach Wade Scott will run the team while Curl recuperates.

Curl, 55, went into a Dallas hospital on Feb. 13, and doctors subsequently diagnosed him as having congestive heart failure. He returned to Houston the next week and underwent surgery to upgrade his pacemaker and install an internal defibrillator.

After a five-game absence, Curl returned to coach the Cougars in the regular-season finale against Rice and the Conference USA tournament. Curl suffered a heart attack in the fall of 2007 and sat out the subsequent season.”

Tech coach Kristy Curry worked for Curl as an assistant at Stephen F. Austin during the 1993-94 season. The two have remained friends off the court.

For Tech’s trio of seniors, the WNIT represents an opportunity to make up for losing the last four games of the season that kept the Lady Raiders out of their first NCAA tournament since 2005.

Tech's Monique Smalls takes a shot against Baylor's Morghan Medlock Wednesday night at United Spirit Arena. Baylor beat Tech 69-60. (John A. Bowersmith/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

“We didn’t finish our conference strong,” senior Jordan Murphree said. “We had a chance to go to the NCAA and we didn’t, so we’re getting a second opportunity, and hopefully we’ll make the most of it.”

Tech coach Kristy Curry declined an invitation to the WNIT last season, citing the makeup of her team. With 10 freshmen and sophomores this year, Curry welcomed the opportunity to provide postseason experience for such a young squad.

Gaining that experience isn’t all the freshmen are playing for, though.

“I hope to get a championship,” freshman point guard Monique Smalls said. “I just want to win. I don’t care about anything that happened in the past. I just want to move forward.”

The Lady Raiders (17-14) will have the opportunity to do so on their home court, where they are 13-5 this season.

In the past, attendance figures have been a factor in determining where each round of the WNIT is held, so
Tech could host multiple games with a strong enough turnout.

Athletic director Gerald Myers urged fans to return to United Spirit Arena in support of a team that he said has “a bright future.”

“Our fans here, in women’s basketball particularly, in the past have been the best fans in college basketball for women,” Myers said. “The passion, the energy, the enthusiasm for women’s basketball that we’ve seen here in the past is second to none.”

The meeting will provide a friendly rivalry for Curry and Houston coach Joe Curl. Curry was an assistant coach on Curl’s staff during the 1993-94 season at Stephen F. Austin, and the two have remained close.

As all teams do around tournament time, Tech was tasked with learning as much as it could about an opponent with limited time to prepare.

Fortunately for the Lady Raiders, Curry is already familiar with Curl’s system at Houston.

“Ahead of time we made a list of suspects and gathered a lot of film,” Curry said. “We probably had eight different people that we felt like had an opportunity if we hosted or were on the road.

“I know a lot about Houston, and playing them down there our first year and again my second year, we’re very familiar with each other.”

Tech and Houston (17-14) were former foes in the now-defunct Southwest Conference and have met 47 times, with the Lady Raiders holding a 33-14 advantage. The last meeting came on Dec. 4, 2007, when the Cougars defeated the Lady Raiders 66-63 in Lubbock.

Houston, a member of Conference USA, twice this season defeated Tulane, which beat Tech 69-47 during a nonconference tournament earlier this season.

The Cougars are led by Conference USA player of the year Courtney Taylor, who averaged 15.3 points and 10 rebounds per game. Junior Brittney Scott chips in nearly 17 points per game, as well.

“This isn’t something that’s going to be easy,” Curry said of the WNIT. “It’s a great challenge for us, and someone’s got a chance to win a championship.”

Houston women at Texas Tech

• What: WNIT first round
• When: 7 p.m. today
• Where: United Spirit Arena
• Records: Houston 17-14, Tech 17-14
• Last meeting: Houston 66, Tech 63 on Dec. 4, 2007, in Lubbock
• Radio: KLZK 97.3 FM, KJTV 950 AM
• Online: twitter.com/AJ_David

To comment on this story:
david.just@lubbockonline.com l 766-8736
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com l 766-8735

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Big 12’s coaches spent an entire season, even some time before it, telling anyone who’d listen this was the conference’s strongest year ever.

Turns out, they were right.

The Big 12 earned a conference-record seven NCAA tournament berths Sunday, including the No. 1 overall seed and two more in the top three, validating what its coaches have been saying all along.

“The more the merrier,” Oklahoma coach Travis Ford said Monday. “I know our coaches are always pleased when they see people value the product that the Big 12 schools are putting out there. To get over half your teams into the NCAA tournament is a very, very nice compliment.”

Football has been the calling card for the Big 12 since its inception in 1996, the perception being Kansas and Oklahoma State were the only teams playing real basketball.

The league has gradually changed its acumen over the past few years as Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri joined the Jayhawks in making deep runs in the NCAA tournament.

Still, six NCAA berths was the best the Big 12 could do – seven times, including the past two seasons – feeding an inferiority complex, as if the basketball power conferences were a big brother who wouldn’t let them win at anything.

Now that Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Missouri, Texas A&M and Texas are in, this relatively new conference has moved up to a level usually reserved for older powerhouses like the Big East and ACC.

“As far as us getting seven in this year, my response is: it’s about time,” Kansas State coach Frank Martin said.

Kansas, no surprise, earned the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The Jayhawks start Thursday in Oklahoma City, against Lehigh.

A monumental mismatch? Probably. But after that, the road gets tougher.

The Midwest regional is considered the toughest in the tournament, one potential land mine after another awaiting the top-ranked Jayhawks.

Get by Lehigh and the second round, Kansas could face Michigan State or Maryland in the regional semifinals, then could face Georgetown or the two teams that gave the Jayhawks their two losses, Oklahoma State or Tennessee.

Even for a team that’s as deep as any in the country, one that spent all but four weeks at No. 1, that’s a tough gauntlet.

“I do believe this is a very, very difficult region,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “But, from my standpoint, to get to where you want to go, you should have to beat good people. I’m sure no matter who gets to Indianapolis they’re going to have a tough road.”

Kansas State set a school record for wins and has its highest seeding ever, No. 2 in the West. The seventh-ranked Wildcats open the NCAA tournament against North Texas in Oklahoma City on Thursday.

Baylor, No. 3 in the South and 19th in the nation, also starts on Thursday, against Sam Houston State in New Orleans. No. 23 Texas A&M gets Utah State in Spokane, Wash., as the fifth seed in the South, and Oklahoma State faces a tough first-round matchup against Georgia Tech as the seventh seed in Milwaukee. The Aggies and Cowboys both play Friday.

The other Big 12 teams in the NCAA tournament need to make quick turnarounds.

Missouri closed out the season by losing three of its final four games, including to last-place Nebraska in the conference tournament. The Tigers open Friday in Buffalo, N.Y., against Clemson in what’s likely to be the fastest game of the tournament.

Then there’s Texas.

The former No. 1 team in the nation, the Longhorns followed a 17-0 start with a crash, going 9-7 during the Big 12 regular season. Texas is the eighth seed in the East regional and opens against Wake Forest on Thursday in New Orleans, hoping to get one potentially momentum-swinging win.

“One game, it can swing quickly,” Texas coach Rick Barnes said. “We see it all the time, teams come into that have been down and out, and they catch it and kind of ride the wave with it … This time of year, one game here or there, one play here or there can really swing it.”

After playing in the rugged Big 12, the Longhorns should be ready for it.

After playing their way into the tournament picture in the second half of the Big 12 Conference season, the Lady Raiders finished their season with four consecutive losses that deflated hopes for their first appearance since 2005.

Curry and the Lady Raiders are now headed back to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament to face Houston on Thursday at United Spirit Arena. The bid to the tournament was automatic for Tech, since the Lady Raiders were the highest finishing team in the Big 12 not to make the NCAA tournament.

The WNIT wasn’t the final destination Curry hoped for, but it’s still one worth fighting for, she said.

“I think the more experience, whether it’s practice experience or game experience, is obviously going to give our seniors a chance to finish differently than they did in the conference,” Curry said. “The postseason is definitely a positive when you look at our roster.”

That roster includes 10 freshmen and sophomores who stand to benefit most from the experience gained at the WNIT. The tournament will be the first chance for Tech’s underclassmen to experience a collegiate postseason, since the Lady Raiders declined their invitation to the WNIT last year.

The 2010 WNIT will be the first to feature 64 teams, with Kansas joining Tech as the only other Big 12 team to make the tournament.

Tech hosted WNIT games in 2008, beating Texas State before losing to TCU in the second round.

A win against Houston on Thursday would pit Tech against either Wyoming or Nevada, but the site for the second round game won’t be determined until after the first round.

“I just appreciate the support of our administration, because we wouldn’t be hosting without that,” Curry said. “They believe in what we’re doing and the direction we’re headed. Now we don’t want to let anybody down. We have to defend our home court.”

The Lady Raiders entered the final week of the season ranked 35th in NCAA RPI and likely needed one victory in its final three games to lock up an at-large berth to the tournament.

But Tech lost its final regular season game to last-place Missouri after losing back-to-back home games. The Lady Raiders still had an outside chance of getting in when the Big 12 tournament started Thursday, but Tech lost its first-round game to Kansas State, 59-51.

“There was too much inconsistency, but at that point in the year your best players have to step up,” Curry said. “We looked mighty youthful at spots, but there are no excuses.”

To comment on this story:
david.just@lubbockonline.com | 766-8736
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com | 766-8735

She didn’t have much to say on the subject, but coach Kim Mulkey did. Here’s the highlights of the press conference: (For the full presser, click here.

Q. Brittney, it had to be nice to get back on the floor. How much did you just miss being out there with your teammates?
BRITTNEY GRINER: You know, I missed being out there with my team. It felt good to be back and playing with everybody.

Q. Brittney, it looked like during introductions because I was sitting across from you that you took a deep breath and just ran out for your introduction, were you getting out and seeing what the reaction was going to be? Were you nervous at all, or how did you feel at that point?
BRITTNEY GRINER: I don’t remember taking a deep breath before I ran out. I don’t remember that.

Q. Brittney perhaps you didn’t hear, but there were a small smattering of boo’s when you were introduced, did you hear that? What do you think of it?
BRITTNEY GRINER: I just drown it out, all I heard was cheers.
COACH MULKEY: Make sure you ask me that question.

Q. Brittney, what did you learn from the suspension and the whole incident?
COACH MULKEY: She learned she misses her team. She misses playing the game.

Q. Coach, did you hear the smattering of boos? What did you think?
COACH MULKEY: I did. I was disappointed. It’s a teenager that made a mistake, and she’s good for the women’s game, and she’s human.

Q. And everything that happened.
COACH MULKEY: Let me make it clear again there is no value in that in women’s basketball. It was horrible. It was horrendous. It was not anything that any of us are proud of. It’s not anything Brittney is proud of.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH MULKEY: I think in life all of you need to look in the mirror. We all need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves have we made some
really bad decisions? I bet we all have. I view things, Michelle, a little like you wrote in your article. I’m a mother, and when I go into that home and recruit that kid and I look at her parents in the eyes and they say “I want that kid to play for you because you run a disciplined program” that came out of Brittney Griner’s father’s mouth, and he
expects, when she fails, for me to discipline her and not throw her on the street. I would think if I coached your daughter you would want that, too. And Brittney Griner will learn from this, and if she doesn’t, Brittney Griner will eliminate herself about we all fail in life, and she is the sweetest child in a 6′ 8″ body that has been — I’ve been doing this since 14 years of age and I’ve played at all levels of basketball and I’ve
played with some of the greatest players, and I’ve never been around a more gentle giant than Brittney Griner. All I ask is that you judge Brittney Griner before the incident and you judge her after the incident. What made her so bad is it was done in a public forum and you remembered this. There is not a coach in America that has not had to discipline a kid for taking a swing at a teammate in private that none of you ever knew about, not on the men’s side, not on the women’s side. It’s not something any of us are proud, but you remember those of you who don’t have children, don’t judge kids. Don’t judge ‘em. Let them clean up their mess with help from adults, and if they don’t clean it up, then they eliminate themselves. It was, again, a horrible, horrible thing, and she hurts because of it.