Texas Tech women's basketball blasts Incarnate Word to extend winning streak

All season, Texas Tech women's basketball coach Krista Gerlich has touted the depth of her squad. Sunday showed why.

Four players scored at least eight points for the Lady Raiders, who routed Incarnate Word 66-48 at United Supermarkets Arena to extend their winning streak to six games. Bailey Maupin led the way with 11 points, while Bryn Gerlich added 10 for Tech.

"In terms of just our scoring being well-rounded, that's what's going to make us really hard to guard," said Bryn Gerlich, who surpassed 500 career points. "I think that's something that's really going to help us in Big 12 play."

The game, which was Tech's second in a run of eight consecutive at home, followed a similar path as Thursday's win over Alabama State. The Lady Raiders established control early and did not let the Cardinals gain any traction, despite outscoring Tech 33-26 in the second half. The Lady Raiders led by as many as 28 in the third quarter before letting up.

"I clearly thought the start of the game was much better for us," Krista Gerlich said, "and really our whole defensive output the first half was good. The second half is disturbing to me, just because I feel like we've got to learn how to defend people in the second half just as well as we do in the first half."

Tech (7-1) held UIW to 33.3% shooting and forced 22 turnovers. That was on the heels of 24 takeaways against ASU, the most during Gerlich's tenure. The defensive effort made up for the Lady Raiders' 41.5% shooting, and Tech scored 27 points off turnovers.

Jasmine Shavers and Ella Tofaeono each tallied eight points and seven rebounds. Maupin, a 5-foot-11 true freshman from Gruver, finished with a team-high eight rebounds.

UIW's Myra Bell led all scorers with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Nina De Leon Negron chipped in nine.

The Lady Raiders separated with a 17-3 run to end the first quarter. Tech then limited UIW to five points in a second quarter in that saw the Cardinals shoot 2 of 13. It was a continuation of a swarming Lady Raiders defense that forced 13 turnovers in the first half.

Tech outrebounded UIW 26-12, often holding the Cardinals to one shot per possession. The Lady Raiders, led by eight points apiece from Gerlich and Maupin, went into the locker room with a 40-15 advantage.

Tech will host Sam Houston State on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. for the team's annual "Education Day," featuring Lubbock-area elementary and middle-school students in attendance. SHSU improved to 3-4 with a 70-62 win over Florida A&M on Saturday. The Bearkats also own a victory over TCU.

"It's always fun. The music choices are fantastic on Education Day," Bryn Gerlich said. "… It's always really fun getting to play in a loud atmosphere. That's a great homecourt advantage for us, especially it being against Sam Houston State, who's had a big win against TCU."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech women's basketball blasts UIW to extend winning streak