Bristow Finds Her Rhythm as No. 21 Texas Tech Beats UCF on New Year’s Eve

No. 21 Texas Tech closed out 2025 the same way it has handled everyone else this season: with defense and balanced scoring. Wasn’t perfect but their record is as they moved to 15-0 on the season and 2-0 in conference in front of over 5,000 Red Raider faithful on New Year’s Eve.

The night in many ways belonged to Jalynn Bristow, who poured in 21 points for her third 20-point game of the season but her first since early November. More than the number, it was how she looked doing it. Bristow played with confidence, rhythm and decisiveness, a welcome sight as conference play ramps up. She also crossed the 500-career-point mark in the process.

“I got some rest, hung out with family, and had a second to gather my thoughts about basketball,” Bristow said postgame about how she used the Christmas break to reset. “Just the stuff I need to do better, especially mentally. Holding my follow-through like Coach and my mom say all the time.”

That reset showed throughout the night. Bristow scored at all three levels, knocked down timely threes, and looked comfortable letting the game come to her.

Head coach Krista Gerlich followed up it wasn’t solely rest that got her there though wanting to give her young star credit for putting in work over the break as well.

“She got in the gym,” Gerlich said. “She got some rest, but she also got in the gym with her mom and got shots up. Shooters go through that, and it was really good to see her get that payoff tonight.”

While Bristow provided the scoring punch, Gemma Núñez controlled everything else. From the opening possession to the final horn, Núñez dictated pace, organized the offense and helped anchor the defensive effort. She finished with 11 points and eight assists (no turnovers) while setting the tone on both ends of the floor.

Asked postgame how she stays so composed while running the offense, Núñez kept it simple.

“I don’t overthink it,” she said. “We’ve been working a lot on our pace and being under control. My focus is giving my teammates the right looks and putting them in position to score. I just play basketball.”

That defensive identity continues to define this group. With the win, Texas Tech improved to 15-0 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play and has now held all 15 opponents this season below their scoring average.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Núñez said. “We talk about defense a lot. We want it to be our identity. We take a lot of pride in it, but we still want to get better.”

The Lady Raiders alslo fed off the energy in the building. A New Year’s Eve crowd of 5,226 showed up loud and engaged. Before the game, fans told me they drove in from Odessa, Amarillo and Midland to spend their holiday with the Lady Raiders, a detail that resonated when it was shared with West Texas native herself Bristow afterward.

“It means a lot for someone to come spend their holiday watching Lady Raiders basketball,” she said. “That’s something my family would do, so seeing other families choose to do that too is really special.”

Beyond the headliners, Texas Tech got strong complementary efforts across the board. Snudda Collins provided energy and scoring off the bench, Bailey Maupin hit timely shots and Denae [De]Fritz helped spearhead a defensive effort that made life difficult for UCF’s Leah Harmon for most of the night.

“Denae’s defensive presence really goes unnoticed a lot of the time,” said Gerlich postgame. “She guarded their best player for 31 minutes, played 94 feet the entire game, and did it effectively. There are a lot of things she does defensively that don’t show up on the stat sheet.”

The third quarter wasn’t as crisp as this team would like but they showed their toughness. And if they needed any reminder, that’s something that isn’t going unnoticed by their opponents either.

“They’re playing unbelievably physical,” said UCF head coach Sytia Messer. “Their defense is as good as I’ve seen and I’ve been in the Big 12 a long time as a head coach and an assistant previously at Baylor. So I would say their defensive end has been much better than what I’ve seen in the past, and what a great job that the coaching staff has done here at Tech.”

New Year’s Surprise Ahead?

And as the calendar flips, there may be more than just a new year on the horizon. Gerlich hinted to the crowd after the game that “they are going into the New Year feeling seven feet tall.”

A mid-season roster addition ahead? Trust you’ll want to stay tuned for this one. Asked if she wanted to speak on this further postgame Gerlich said:

“Keep a close eye on social media in the next 24 hours, we’ve got a really great New Year’s surprise.”

New Year’s Eve win. New Year’s Day surprise. Lady Raider Nation will hopefully not have to wait long to find out.

What’s Next: vs Arizona 1/3 6pm in Lubbock

Texas Tech will be right back at United Supermarkets Arena on Saturday, hosting Arizona at 6 p.m. in a Big 12 matchup that caps a doubleheader with the men’s team, who face Oklahoma State at noon. Tickets are on sale for New Year’s as low as $7.

Gerlich cautioned that Arizona is not a team that ever goes away, regardless of the score.

“They never quit,” Gerlich said. “They’ve been in games that got away from them and still found a way to make it really interesting at the end. We’re going to have to be ready for that and make sure if we separate, we don’t let them back in it.”

Photo Gallery: No. 21 Texas Tech vs UCF Women’s Basketball