Lady Raiders basketball looks to slow down Lee, No. 25 Kansas State Wildcats
Having suffered two straight setbacks after the big win over No. 9 Texas, the Texas Tech women's basketball team will try to right the ship when it hosts 25th-ranked Kansas State on Saturday at 2 p.m. in United Supermarkets Arena.
In order to achieve that goal, the Lady Raiders will need to get several things accomplished: take care of the ball and find a way to stop Kansas State's 6-foot-6 post Ayoka Lee.
To head coach Krista Gerlich, the Lady Raiders have been careless with the basketball, even in the win over the Longhorns. Turnovers have been an issue throughout the season for Tech, but the last three games especially.
Over the last three contests, the Lady Raiders have averaged 22 turnovers, including 21 giveaways in Wednesday's 64-53 loss to West Virginia.
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"We were giving way too many second-chance opportunities and some really, really bad turnovers," Gerlich said in Friday afternoon's press conference. "Obviously taking care of the basketball, just valuing those possessions more and really executing whatever we're trying to do offensively."
Gerlich attributes some of those turnover woes to the roster roulette the Lady Raiders have dealt with this season, which will continue on Saturday. Gerlich confirmed that Bre'Amber Scott, who missed Wednesday's game, will be unavailable again on Saturday.
Scott has played in just five games this season, averaging 10.8 points per game when she's been available. She and Vivian Gray (seven games played) have been missing pieces throughout the year. To Gerlich, that has led to some of the inconsistency on the court.
"I think that's really stemming the turnovers is the more pressure the situation it is, the tougher it is to know where the other person's going to be because they haven't played together long enough," Gerlich said. "I just feel like that type of chemistry has to continue to be developed. The chemistry off the court is great, and on the court is fine, too, it's just a matter of playing chemistry we've got to come up with."
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As much focus as there is on the Lady Raiders themselves, there's also plenty of focus on Kansas State's imposing presence in the paint in Lee.
Lee currently leads the Big 12 in scoring (18.7 points per game) and field-goal percentage. She's coming off a 38-point, 11-rebound effort against Iowa State, which was her sixth game with 30 points or more so far this season.
Gerlich has seen Lee every year of her career while coaching at both the University of Texas-Arlington and Texas Tech. In that time, Lee has transformed herself into one of the best post players in the country.
"You could really pick out her weaknesses freshman year and sit on them, if you will, and try to make her take shots she doesn't like and she has worked so hard and well and has improved so much that now it really is that if she catches the basketball, you're in trouble," Gerlich said of Lee. "You really do have to keep her from touching it, or at least keep her from catching it in the paint, and that's a very difficult task."
No. 25 Kansas State at Texas Tech
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: United Supermarkets Arena
Records: Texas Tech 8-7, 1-3; Kansas State 13-3, 3-1
Radio: FM 107.FM
TV: ESPN+
Game updates: Follow @byStephenGarcia on Twitter for live updates, with postgame recap and interviews to follow on www.lubbockonline.com.
Big 12 Standings
Conference, Overall
Iowa State 4-0 15-1
Oklahoma 3-1 14-2
Kansas State 3-1 13-3
Kansas 2-1 11-2
Texas 1-2 11-3
West Virginia 1-2 8-5
TCU 1-2 5-7
Texas Tech 1-3 8-7
Oklahoma State 1-3 6-7
Baylor 0-2 10-4
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lady Raiders basketball look to slow down Lee, No. 25 Kansas State
