Texas Tech's Identity Reset Fuels Lady Raiders

A player who averages less than three minutes per game does not usually decide the story of a ranked in-state rivalry game.

Yet Wednesday night in Lubbock, Mariam “Mimi” Sanogo perhaps did exactly that. Hyperbole? Maybe.

But also, maybe not.

Coming off a tough road loss at Oklahoma State, head coach Krista Gerlich challenged her group to reconnect with their identity, why they were here and what each of them was brought to this program to do.

The response was emphatic. Texas Tech delivered a blistering 87–56 win over No. 15 Baylor that produced the program’s first season sweep of the Bears since 2003-04 and its largest ranked win since 2000.

It has been that kind of season in Lubbock, a steady drumbeat of first time since.

And Wednesday’s tone-setter started days earlier when Mimi Sanogo walked up to her coach with a simple request.

“She said, ‘Coach, can I play on the scout team because I want to go rebound so that Bailey has to block me out?’” Gerlich shared postgame. “That’s so unselfish, right? That is a team player.”

Mimi Sanogo logged just 1:27 of game time. But her impact was immense.

Tasked in practice with mimicking Baylor star No. 5 Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, the Big 12’s leading rebounder at more than 10 per game, Sanogo immersed herself in the role so well she had assistants calling her “number five” after practice.

Cute story. But did it work?

Littlepage-Buggs finished with just three rebounds, all in the first quarter. It marked the second-lowest rebounding total of her career. The only lower outing came during a limited 10-minute appearance as a freshman. It was also her lowest rebounding game in more than two years.

Yes, it worked.

It was this level of buy-in to their individual roles that fueled the bounce-back week as a whole.

“We really talked about our identity and who we are as a team and who they are individually… and why they’re here,” Gerlich said. “I don’t think that I’ve ever had a team respond in such a positive manner.”

Gerlich said she could see the shift almost immediately.

“You could just see a look in their eye the last two days,” she said. “They just had a different look in their eye about how they wanted to approach this game. They’re really listening to us and letting us coach them.”

The response was visible from the opening tip.

Texas Tech shot 55.7 percent from the field, led for 39:12, and forced Baylor into 20 turnovers with havoc defense that at times made it feel like Tech was playing with six players. More importantly, it looked like the most connected version of this group, the version Gerlich built them to be, even if they needed a little reminder.

It Takes Everyone Being Everyone

Sara Sanogo | Photo by Erica Martinez, Seeing Scarlet

While Mariam Sanogo starred in practice, her sister Sara Sanogo is an every-game starter but played well above her averages in this one, notching her second double-figure game of the season. Her intensity was different on both ends. It was clear.

The French forward’s journey to this moment has been closely tied to her sister. Sara originally came to the United States through the junior college route alongside Mariam Sanogo, and the two had rarely been apart in their basketball careers. That changed when Sara earned the opportunity to move up to power conference basketball at Texas Tech last season while Mimi continued her Division I path at Canisius in New York.

They hated being apart. So one year later, they are back together in Lubbock after the Lady Raiders used an open roster spot to add Mimi, giving this veteran group another layer of chemistry and trust.

On the floor Wednesday night, Sara delivered one of her most impactful performances of the season with 10 points and seven rebounds while anchoring the paint.

“Baylor is a big matchup… we all have to show up… I just gave everything I had today,” Sara said.

Bailey Maupin | Photo by Erica Martinez, Seeing Scarlet

No one though fit the full-circle picture of the night more than Bailey Maupin.

The Gruver native, the lone four-year Lady Raider, had never beaten Baylor in her collegiate career. Now she is part of the first sweep in two decades. Maupin poured in 22 points and knocked down four threes, but her reaction stayed true to the team’s tone.

“It’s an honor to be a part of a team that can get things done… but also just to have all of our names in the same history book together is something we’ll cherish forever,” Maupin said.

That mindset showed up everywhere Wednesday night.

Snudda Collins, who was not even playing basketball last season, erupted for 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Gemma Núñez, the mid-major transfer from Campbell, added 10 points with four steals and three assists, continuing her quietly massive two-way impact.

Denae Fritz, now on her third Big 12 stop, embodied the identity conversation Gerlich challenged her with earlier this week.

“I asked her… ‘What is your identity?’ And she said, ‘I’m a defensive stopper and a three-point shooter.’ I said, ‘That’s who I need you to be.’”

She delivered exactly that Wednesday night. Fritz drew the primary defensive assignment on Baylor guard Taliah Scott, who entered the game ranked among the top five scorers in the Big 12. Scott finished with 13 points but needed 13 shots to get there, going just 2-for-13 from the field.

It added to a growing season-long trend. Fritz continues to stack up performances holding opposing leading scorers below their averages, another example of the role clarity and defensive buy-in fueling Texas Tech’s surge.

Denae Frits, Texas Tech Lady Raiders | Photo by Erica Martinez, Seeing Scarlet

Adlee Blacklock, the Lubbock native who famously told Gerlich “I’m all in” before the recruiting pitch even began, buried a momentum three that helped ignite the crowd. Jalynn Bristow, the Loyal to the Soil rim protector, added two blocks and continues her climb toward the program’s single-season top 10. Jada Malone, who bet on Gerlich’s vision after leaving Texas A&M, chipped in six points off the bench.

Different journeys. Same buy-in.

It is the latter that stands out for Gerlich.

“They each have such a special role, and they all are so incredibly valuable to this team and what we’re doing,” she said. “It’s what can happen when you put those individuals together and make a team… a team that is selfless, a team that is driven, a team that is bought in.”

With the win, Texas Tech moves to 24-4 overall and 11-4 in Big 12 play, sitting one game out of first place with three to go. The milestones keep stacking. Another first time since is likely coming.

First NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013? A mere formality.
First Big 12 title since 2000? Possibly.

“We talked today about numbering your days,” Gerlich said about keeping the team focused on making the most of the season they have left. “Nobody’s guaranteed tomorrow. How many days and how many games do they have left to play together? Because they’re going to miss being Lady Raiders.”

Next up, the team heads to Boulder, Colorado, to take on a Colorado Buffaloes team that has won seven of its last eight and is eyeing Texas Tech as its ticket to an outside shot at the Big 12 title.

No days off.

1-0.

Game Photo Gallery: No. 15 Baylor vs. No. 20 Texas Tech Women’s Basketball

Denae Frits, Texas Tech Lady Raiders | Photo by Erica Martinez, Seeing Scarlet

Snudda Collins | Photo by Erica Martinez, Seeing Scarlet