Freshman Bailey Maupin learns to provide scoring punch off the bench for Texas Tech

Bailey Maupin may not be in the starting lineup, but the Texas Tech freshman guard has learned how to help her squad in other ways.

Maupin, a Gruver, Texas native, came off the bench with 6:47 left in the first quarter and proceeded to pour in nine or her 11 total point in the first half — while Bre’Amber Scott led the way with a game-high 17 — to help the Lady Raiders build a double-digit halftime lead before securing a 66-47 triumph Monday against McNeese State.

“I think the biggest thing for me is just being happy to be back out there with my teammates and enjoying it,” said Scott, who logged her ninth game and start of the season Monday night — a year after totaling eight games of action. ”Like, probably a couple of games back, I was worried about my shot not falling. But it got the point now where I’m just enjoying it. I’m just play hard regardless if I’m on or if I’m off.”

With the victory, Texas Tech (10-1) increased its winning streak to nine games while also coming within one win from last year’s total by downing the Cowgirls (3-7). It’s a notable win for many reasons as Texas Tech coach Krista Gerlich builds the program back into the consistent winner she remembers when donning the scarlet and black back in 1993.

One key factor to the improvement is the acceptance of roles and seeing young and new players gain confidence — IE, Maupin and transfer forward Jasmine Lewis coming off the bench to provide scoring and defensive energy.

The guard-post duo combined to score 21 of the 31 bench points for the Lady Raiders in the victory. Maupin helped create separation — while also closing out the first quarter with a 14-foot pull-up jumper before the buzzer toward a 19-16 advantage after the first quarter.

That lead, which was never relinquished the rest of the way, ballooned to as many as 21 on the way to making the Lady Raiders 7-1 at home this season.

“For like Bailey and little Jazz (Jazmaine Lewis), they just do a great job of bringing us energy,” said Texas Tech forward Katie Ferrell, who finished with nine rebounds, two points and three assists — to increase her career total to 501. ”Obviously, they both can score the ball at a very high rate. And just knowing their role and stepping into that and just doing a very, very good job at what they do.”

Along with Maupin and Lewis providing points off the bench, the starting five has been consistent thanks to Scott — who recorded her third straight game with 15 or more points. She got help from Rhyle McKinney (eight points) and Ella Tofaeono (seven points).

“I’m just trying to be consistent and play hard — play hard on offense and defense,” Scott said following an eight-rebound Monday night of her newfound mentality following her injury-riddle season a year ago. ”That’s what my team needs me to do, and I just want to be consistent on both ends.”

And that tracks with what Texas Tech women’s basketball coach Krista Gerlich has seen on film. The third-year coach feels her squad is beginning to separate itself, meaning she can see rotations are shaping up while certain mixes of players can play together to highlight an offensive or defensive focus when needed in certain segments of a game.

The biggest reason this is occurring, according to Gerlich, is her team’s unselfish play — where no one is pining for minutes, points or a spot in the starting lineup. All of that is figured out while competing in practice.

“Just watching film, grading film of ourselves trying to get that rotation down,” the Lady Raiders coach said, ”because I do think that early in the season, we were plating so many people — which is great, and we’re going to continue to play a lot of people because I think that’s one of our strengths (depth).

“But, I do that we’re starting to get a rotation down, where we see the offensive production that we can get. When we have to some defensive adjustments, we can make those substitutions. But it’s fantastic when you can go seven deep at least and two of those kids are usually your high points.”

What’s next: Texas Tech is scheduled host UC Riverside at 2 p.m. Thursday in a contest slated to be streamed online on ESPN+.

Quick hits

• Katie Ferrell finished with three assists, which helped her improve to 501 for her career. … The feat also marker her second straight start after returning from hand surgery. The last time Ferrell was penciled in the starting lineup was in the Nov. 7 regular season opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

• Texas Tech finished the game with nine turnovers — its best mark since tallying a season-low eight against Alabama State on Dec. 1.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Freshman Bailey Maupin provides scoring punch off bench for Texas Tech in win over McNeese State