SILVA JR.: Young players grow, step up for Texas Tech in WNIT opener

Rhyle McKinney didn't need to find open space to make a difference Thursday night.

Although, after making a few layups, the sophomore guard had plenty of room to maneuver and make three-point shots just like an few of her other teammates did against UTEP in a first-round WNIT game inside United Supermarkets Arena.

She scored 10 of her 12 total points in the first quarter, while Bailey Maupin (17 points) and Jasmine Shavers (six points) chipped in on offense, to help the Lady Raiders down the Miners 67-54 to claim the program's first postseason win since March 18, 2012.

“It’s big because, ultimately, that’s who we’re doing it for,” Bre’Amber Scott, who finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, said of the watching the future of the program blossom in a postseason atmosphere. ”Like, yeah, we have five seniors here and we want to go out winning a championship — of course. But, it’s for the future.

“It’s great to see them have confidence and knocking down shots. … I screamed at Rhylie, ’Shoot it!’ and she shot it and she made it. … It’s really great to see them have confidence and that they’re knocking down shots.”

It worked on the same night Katie Ferrell returned to the lineup, after going through concussion protocol last week during the Big 12 Tournament. The 6-foot-1 graduate transfer from UT Arlington brought a calming presence on the defensive and offensive ends thanks to her basketball IQ.

The best example was in the first quarter. Ferrell tipped what looked to be a ball going out of bounds — keeping possessions for the Lady Raiders — toward Scott who was fouled as the shot clock expired. Instead of losing the offensive opportunity, Scott made a pair of free throws to put Texas Tech up 9-5 with 6:16 to play in the first quarter of a game it never trailed.

Even with the seniors, Thursday night turned into a showcase for the future for the Texas Tech women's basketball team as the Miners made things interesting in the latter portion of the contest.

Jazion Jackson converted a 3-points play, cutting UTEP’s deficit to eight points at 62-54 with 1:37 to play before a Texas Tech countered with a bucket that nullified the Miners big play.

Maupin rose up and drilled a triple — one of her three in the game — to put the advantage up to double figures and cement the postseason victory.

“Bailey hit a big shot, where she went under a ball screen, pull — and I thought that might have been the dagger,” UTEP coach Kevin Baker said when asked of the play of the Lady Raider underclassmen. ”But, that was a big shot for her and kind of put them over the edge.

“She’s gonna be a great player here for many years.”

Maupin, a former Gruver standout that enjoyed postseason success in the form of a pair of Class 2A state titles, drained the fifth and final 3-pointer for Texas Tech to provide her squad a 12-point advantage (25-13) after the first 10 minutes.

It put the bow on a 60% shooting performance from the field, which included a 5-for-8 mark from the three-point line. By contrast, the TTU defense held the Miners to two total triples — one in the first quarter and the other in the third.

The Lady Raiders (19-14) also helped their own cause by playing aggressive, which led to putting three of the Miners best players — Elina Arike (nine points), Avery (five points) and Jackson (five points), who averaged 32.9 points per game coming into Thursday's contest — into foul trouble early in the contest.

The trio were on the bench with about four minutes left to play in the second quarter, which allowed the Texas Tech to balloon its lead to 17 points (37-20) following a Maupin jumper with 2:18 left until halftime.

The Miners forged a 6-0 run, fueled by four points from former Oklahoma State guard N’Yah Boyd to trail 37-26 at the midway point.

”We’re not very good when our best three players sit on the bench,” Baker said matter-of-factly about the situation. ”I mean, we’re just not very good. That’s just how it is. Our kids coming off the bench, they play hard, but they’re not near as talented as the ones that were sitting by us.

“I was worried about that all week. If those guys (Arike, Crouse and Jackson) got in foul trouble, it wouldn’t be the game we needed it to be. And that’s exactly what happened. We gambled a lot, put them in with fouls. It’s already hard enough to win college basketball games as it is, but now I’m trying to win with my best three players out. I won’t say impossible, but it’s hard.”

With Arike back on the floor, the Miners chipped away at what was a double-digit deficit. The sophomore forward drained a pair of free throws to put UTEP behind five points (45-40) with 2:18 to play in the third quarter.

The Lady Raiders engineered an 8-4 offensive surge to cling onto a 53-44 lead going into the final quarter of play. The Miners (20-12) made things interesting, but could not put together a sizable rally as Texas Tech secured its 14th home triumph.

"It feels great to get a postseason win on our home court. What an amazing crowd," Lady Raiders coach Krista Gerlich said. " … (Our players) are trying to extend their season, and I thought that they did such a great job today of coming out in the first quarter and really setting the tone. I thought our defense was really pretty good all night long."

What's next: Texas Tech is slated to host SMU (17-12) at 6 p.m. Monday in a second-round WNIT contest. … With a win Monday, the Lady Raiders could reach 20 wins for the first since the 2012-13 campaign.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Rhyle McKinney, Bailey Maupin, Jasmine Shavers grow, step up for Texas Tech in WNIT opener