Gritty, not pretty.

Less than 48 hours after winning 82-51 at Washington State Friday Night, Texas Tech made the quick trip back to Texas to grind out a whistle-heavy 67–57 win over Abilene Christian on Sunday in Odessa. The Lady Raiders improved to 12–0 ahead of their final non-conference game on Wednesday.

“We just found a way,” head coach Krista Gerlich said afterward. “It was ugly. We kind of needed one of those where you just have to grind it out. We just had to find a way.”

Stat Leaders

Bailey Maupin – 14 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl

Jada Malone – 14 pts, 3 reb, 1 stl

Denae Fritz – 10 pts, 3 reb, 3 stl, 2 blk, 1 ast

Jalynn Bristow – 8 pts, 9 reb, 3 blk

Despite trailing after the first quarter for only the second time all season, Texas Tech steadied itself in the third quarter and found separation late when they switched to a 1–3–1 zone that immediately disrupted ACU’s rhythm. The change produced two steals and transition layups by Sidney Love, allowing Texas Tech to push the lead to 12 points.

“We changed our defense up right there,” head coach Krista Gerlich said. “Coach Walters made a great call. It caught them off guard, and we were able to get a couple of easy buckets that gave us momentum.”

That momentum was a nice flash of how this team usually looks, showing how quickly they can go on runs when their defense is not disrupted by whistles. Prior to that burst it was a very stop and start half with ACU taking advantage of Tech’s inability to guard without fouling.

Asked what her halftime message to the team was, Gerlich said simply:

“Stop fouling.”

Seven different Lady Raiders had two fouls by the time the first half ended and ACU found their way to the line 26 times.

“They can’t shoot 26 free throws in the first half,” Gerlich said. “Our defense has to adjust, and we have to defend one-on-one better.”

The Lady Raiders carried that adjustment into the second half. While the game remained a grind at times, Texas Tech played with greater composure defensively, holding the Wildcats to only 9 free throws.

“I thought we were very chaotic early,” Gerlich said. “We can play fast and disrupt, but we have to be in control.”

Offensively, Texas Tech leaned into its interior advantage. Jada Malone, named the Lady Raider Dominator of the Game, was perfect from the field, finishing 6-for-6 to score 14 points as Texas Tech totaled 40 of its 67 points in the paint.

“We knew we’d have an advantage with her,” Gerlich said. “She’s a Power Four post player with great hands and I thought our kids did a great job of finding her.”

The Lady Raiders shot 50.9 percent from the field, overcoming a 6-for-20 performance from three-point range. Helping that was steady performances from the team’s senior captains, as Bailey Maupin added 14 points and Denae Fritz provided another all-around effort on both ends. In total, three Lady Raiders reached double figures, and 9 of the 10 players who entered the game scored.

Defensively, despite the fouls Texas Tech held ACU 20 points below their scoring average of 77.9 a game and only allowed 14 total made field goals. Conversely, the Wildcats defense that came in top 20 in the nation at forcing 23 turnovers per game only managed to get 15 from Tech. It may not have been pretty or easy, but in the end the numbers didn’t look all that bad as long as you squint and avert your eyes from the free throw and foul columns. Always better to learn in a win than a loss and Texas Tech will have plenty to learn from this heading into their final non-conference game of the year on Wednesday.

“I think we needed that,” Gerlich said. “We needed some adversity. We needed to push through fatigue and just find a way.”

Up Next: vs. Jacksonville 11:30 am in Lubbock 11/17 – Education Day

Texas Tech now turns its attention to its final non-conference game, hosting Jacksonville on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in Lubbock for the program’s annual Education Day game, with a sellout crowd expected. The Dolphins enter the game 7-2 coming off a loss to No. 8 TCU on Sunday in which they trailed by only seven at half before the Horned Frogs broke it open in the second half to win 89-49.

“We’re going from a 1,500-seat gym to a 15,000-seat arena full of screaming kids—it’s going to be a great environment. Jacksonville is a really good, athletic team, so we’re going to have to control the basketball and be disciplined.”

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