February 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nThe 2025-26 campaign began with 19 consecutive victories, tying the program record for single-season wins. The previous benchmark was set by the 1992-93 national championship team.<\/p>\n
Now in her sixth season at the helm of her alma mater, Gerlich continues to build on that championship lineage. The connection between past and present could not be more fitting. She once helped cut down the nets as a player, and now she is guiding a new generation with that same championship standard.<\/p>\n
Hired in August 2020, Gerlich returned to Lubbock with the mission of restoring Lady Raider basketball to national prominence. Step by step, season by season, that vision has taken shape.<\/p>\n
2024-25 Momentum<\/p>\n
The Lady Raiders won 19 games and reached the quarterfinals of both the Big 12 Tournament and the Women\u2019s Basketball Invitation Tournament. Texas Tech earned its 1,000th win in program history with a victory over Utah in the Big 12 Tournament. That also made her snap a 22-year drought of winning multiple games at the conference tournament.<\/p>\n
In postseason play, Tech defeated the 4-seed Wyoming and overall No. 1 seed Virginia Tech in the WBIT before falling in the quarterfinals. Gerlich also coached Bailey Maupin and Jasmine Shavers to All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors, with both scoring over 500 points during the season.<\/p>\n
2023-24 Growth and Breakthrough<\/p>\n
In her fourth season, Gerlich led Tech to 17 victories and back-to-back winning seasons. The Lady Raiders opened the year 11-0 and secured a ranked win over No. 24 Iowa State.<\/p>\n
Texas Tech recorded its first 20-win season and postseason appearance since 2012-13, advancing to the third round of the WNIT. The Lady Raiders earned their first postseason victory since 2011-12 and shared the 2022 preseason WNIT crown.<\/p>\n
In 2021-22, Texas Tech defeated rival Texas in Austin. That became the first Lady Raider coach to win there since 2012-13. That season included three AP Top 25 victories, including wins over No. 25 Kansas State and No. 15 Oklahoma.<\/p>\n
![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771581554_915_01khv1smg7e9xthn21kw.jpg\" "\\"Texas")
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Texas Tech women’s basketball coach Krista Gerlich reacts to a play in a Big 12 game against Baylor on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, at United Supermarkets Arena. | Stephen Garcia\/Avalanche-Journal \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n
The victory over Texas also marked the first road sweep of Texas and Oklahoma in the same season in program history. During her first season in 2020-21, Gerlich led Tech to a win over No. 20 Texas.<\/p>\n
Texas Tech Legend On and Off the Court<\/p>\n
Gerlich\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 did not start at Texas Tech. It was built over years of consistent winning and championship culture.<\/p>\n
At UT Arlington, Gerlich became the program\u2019s all-time winningest coach, recording 121 wins. She earned Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors in 2019 and led the Lady Mavs to their first postseason victory and first Sun Belt regular-season title.<\/p>\n
At West Texas A&M University, she compiled a 168-53 record, captured four consecutive South Division Lone Star Conference titles and three consecutive Lone Star Conference championships, and led the Lady Buffs to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight run.<\/p>\n
Across 15 years as a head coach prior to this season, Gerlich accumulated multiple conference titles, eight 20-win seasons, and numerous All-Americans and all-conference selections. Winning has followed her at every stop. Gerlich\u2019s legacy at Texas Tech University extends far beyond the sidelines.<\/p>\n
As a player from 1989-93, she helped guide Tech to the 1993 NCAA National Championship. She earned three All-Southwest Conference selections and ranks third in school history in career assists with 553. She also ranks third in career three-point field goals with 220 and finished her career with 1,324 points.<\/p>\n
Her No. 21 jersey was retired on Dec. 5, 1993, making her one of only three Lady Raiders to receive that honor.<\/p>\n
With a 23-4 record and sole representation from the Big 12 on the Naismith Watch List, Krista Gerlich\u2019s sixth season has become a defining chapter in her mission to restore Lady Raider basketball. The recognition from the Atlanta Tipoff Club places her among the elite coaches in women\u2019s college basketball this season.<\/p>\n
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