Texas Tech basketball: Lady Raiders look to bounce back against West Virginia

Texas Tech women's basketball coach Krista Gerlich didn't mince words after Saturday's home loss to Oklahoma State. Three days after beating No. 9 Texas in Austin, the Lady Raiders came out flat and fell in a hole that proved too deep to overcome.

Gerlich called it a "disappointing" loss, as the Cowgirls improved to 6-6 overall in netting their first Big 12 Conference win. Tech mounted a late charge to get within one point in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough.

Although the Texas Tech coach did compliment the team's ability to adjust and fight in the second half, Gerlich emphasized the Lady Raiders need the same focus they had against the Longhorns in every game.

More: Late comeback not enough for Lady Raiders basketball in loss to Oklahoma State

The Oklahoma State loss may have been a harsh lesson of that, but it could help heading into a 6 p.m. Wednesday contest at West Virginia.

The Mountaineers, like OSU, enter with a meager 7-5 record and are winless in Big 12 play. But WVU's losses have all come to teams now ranked in the AP top 25. The Mountaineers fell to No. 25 Kansas State 71-61 at home Saturday.

"West Virginia is a really, really good 0-2 team in our conference," Gerlich said Tuesday. "They're super physical, very athletic. They've got a lot of experience back from a good team from last year. Going to West Virginia, as in any road game, it's going to be a huge battle, really tough.

"It will be extremely physical, and that's where our girls have to really get their minds ready and minds right for a 40-minute battle."

The Mountaineers swept the season series last year, including an 83-78 win at WVU Coliseum. WVU has won nine consecutive meetings in the series, with Tech's last win in Morgantown coming in 2015.

Junior guard K.K. Deans leads the Mountaineers with 15.2 points per game. She scored a team-high 17 points Saturday against KSU. Esmery Martinez, a 6-foot-2 junior, is the team's leading rebounder (8.1) and second-leading scorer (11.4).

WVU is second in the Big 12 in turnover margin (4.83), while Tech is last at minus-5.29. It's an area that hurt the Lady Raiders (8-6 overall, 1-2 Big 12) against OSU. The Cowgirls cashed 19 turnovers into 21 points.

"The first step is you've just got to own it," Gerlich said. "You've got to own the loss. You've got to own the things that we didn't get done. You've got to take responsibility for it. We've got to step up and just get our minds right and decide that we don't like this feeling."

Lexy Hightower scored 16 points off the bench Saturday, the only Tech player to reach double digits. Vivian Gray had an uncharacteristic night, netting nine points on 4 of 15 shooting.

Overall the Lady Raiders were 42.3% from the field, boosted by an 8 of 13 fourth quarter. Gerlich said she's hoping the team can learn from the OSU loss and "grow."

"You have to bounce back, no matter what," Gerlich said. "I think the emphasis has to be to get ready for the next one. That's the thing about the Big 12: You don't have time to sulk. You don't have time to cry over spilled milk, if you will. You've got to regather yourselves, get focused back up, and you've got to get ready for battle because that's exactly what we're going into."

Texas Tech at West Virginia

BIG 12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

When: 6 p.m. Wednesday

Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, W. Va.

Records: Texas Tech 8-6, 1-2; West Virginia 7-5, 0-2

Radio: 107.7 FM

Stream: ESPN+

Big 12 standings

Conference, overall

Iowa State 3-0, 14-1

Kansas State 3-0, 13-2

Oklahoma 2-1, 13-2

Kansas 1-1, 10-2

Texas 1-1, 11-2

Oklahoma State 1-2, 6-6

Texas Tech 1-2, 8-6

Baylor 0-1, 10-3

TCU 0-2, 4-7

West Virginia 0-2, 7-5

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech Lady Raiders basketball look to bounce back against WVU