Lady Raiders Top Missouri, 63-55

By Jay Langley - Special to kamc28.tv (Lubbock) - Both Lady Raider coach Kristy Curry and Missouri coach Cindy Stein agreed that the key to Techs 63-55 victory Wednesday night at the United Spirit Arena was rebounding. "I think when you can out rebound somebody by 16 and only have 12 turnovers you put yourself in a position to win," Curry said. "We were able to just make a few more plays down the stretch and find a way to win." For the game, Tech (11-7, 2-2) out rebounded Missouri 47-31 and outscored the Tigers on second chance points 15-5. "Texas Tech did a great job of battling in there," Stein said. "I think theyre a scrappy rebounding team and we had a lot of trouble containing them. I think our kids played tough, but not tough enough on the boards. I think thats the name of the game." Tech took an early first half lead of 25-7 when Chesley Dabbs made her first six field goal attempts on her way to a team high 20 points. "Its funny because me and Jordan (Murphree) were just talking about that," Dabbs said. "I always get a baseline shot and miss it every time to start the game off. And I hit it today so I guess that was a sign that it was going to be a good night for me." Following Tech`s scoring run, the Lady Raiders went scoreless for almost eight minutes allowing Missouri (13-5, 1-4) to cut the lead to two. "Our team has a lot of heart and they play extremely hard," Stein said. "It says a lot about our team that we stepped up and battled away. But in the Big 12 thats not good enough. You gotta get the W." Center Patrice Edwards came off the bench for Tech and had 10 points and five rebounds in just 12 minutes. "I just kept working hard," Edwards said. "They told me I was rushing a little too much. So I decided to take my time a little bit. We got a couple of miss matches so I ended up at the four instead of the five so that helped out a lot." The win marked the second consecutive game in which the Lady Raiders had fewer than 14 turnovers, a goal Curry said she set for the team at the beginning of the season. "You have to give this team all the credit in the world for really prizing each possession," Curry said. "Theyre understanding decision making and being accountable. Were trying to hold them more accountable in practice and I think youre starting to see some success on the floor." The victory dropped Missouris all-time record in Lubbock to 0-7. Stein, who is in her eighth year at Missouri, said she is tired of losing at Tech. "I dont think Im the only one," Stein said of her losing streak, "so thats a good thing. But its tough. I thought that this team had a chance to win. The frustrating thing is that you gotta wait a whole nother year to do it. But well eventually get there." The Lady Raiders avoided back-to-back home losses for the first time since the 1990-91 season. Tech next plays Saturday at Oklahoma State, tip-off set for 11am.