Texas Tech basketball: Lady Raiders start road trip against TCU

Coming off a convincing win over then-No. 25 Kansas State on Saturday, the Texas Tech women's basketball team will try to avoid a letdown Wednesday on the road.

The Lady Raiders travel to Fort Worth to face TCU, which picked up its first Big 12 Conference win last week. The Horned Frogs rank ninth in the conference in scoring offense and scoring defense.

Tech coach Krista Gerlich expects the home loss to Oklahoma State following an upset of then-No. 9 Texas to serve as a reminder not to ease up after a top-25 victory.

"I think that we learned a valuable lesson after we beat Texas and came home and played Oklahoma State and didn't get that win," Gerlich said of the 57-55 loss. "They understand that that's the same scenario that could happen right now. Even though the road games are even tougher, I do think that our kids are focused on trying to take one game at a time."

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Tech (9-7 overall, 2-3 Big 12) cleaned up its turnovers and played stout defense in the 64-45 win over KSU, holding the Wildcats to two fourth-quarter points. The Lady Raiders will be matched up against a TCU team averaging 65.7 points, just behind Tech's 65.8.

Lauren Heard leads the Horned Frogs with 16.2 points per game, good for seventh in the Big 12. The 5-foot-9 senior guard from Denton Guyer netted 15 points in TCU's last game, a 100-71 loss to No. 14 Oklahoma. Junior guard Tavy Diggs led the Horned Frogs with 16 points in 18 minutes.

Three days earlier, TCU (5-8, 1-3) edged OSU 64-63 at home for its first conference win. The Horned Frogs overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit in the contest.

"TCU is real athletic," Gerlich said. "They play fast, they have a lot of weapons and they play a lot of people. I think that's probably the most challenging thing. They play 10-deep, so that can be difficult sometimes. They're a team that, if you let them get hot, momentum is certainly in their favor. We've got to really keep their runs to a minimum, control them and not let them get confident."

Vivian Gray tied her season-high with 23 points against KSU. It was the third time she's hit the mark in eight games. Bryn Gerlich scored a season-best 16 points, which included nine in the first quarter on 3 of 3 shooting from beyond the arc.

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Gerlich, who made her first Big 12 start on Saturday, could again be relied upon on offense this week. Bre'Amber Scott, who has missed the past two games with an illness, will not travel with the team as she continues to recover. That includes missing Saturday's game at Kansas.

Lexy Hightower, who exited early in the third quarter Saturday and didn't return, is "day-to-day" with injury. She was wearing a walking boot after the game. Krista Gerlich said Hightower is "doing well" and will be with the team.

Tech won't return to Lubbock before Saturday's game in Lawrence, Kan.

"Sometimes I prefer to be on the road," Krista Gerlich said, "because we have their undivided attention 24/7. … At the same time, it can get long. It can get a little tiresome. I think these kids do a really good job when we're on the road of making it a business trip and staying focused and understanding what the assignment is."

Texas Tech at TCU

When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Schollmaier Arena, Fort Worth

Records: Texas Tech 9-7, 2-3; TCU 5-8, 1-3

Radio: FM 107.7

Stream: ESPN+

Big 12 Conference standings

Conference, overall

Iowa State 5-0, 16-1

Oklahoma 4-1, 15-2

Kansas State 3-2, 13-4

Kansas 2-2, 11-3

Texas Tech 2-3, 9-7

Baylor 1-2, 11-4

TCU 1-3, 5-8

West Virginia 1-3, 8-6

Oklahoma State 1-4, 6-8

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech basketball: Lady Raiders start road trip against TCU