Lady Raiders continue tour of Canada

AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

The Texas Tech women's basketball team arrived in Whistler, British Columbia, on Thursday morning, fresh off a tour of Vancouver and three consecutive gamedays.

"It's amazing," coach Kristy Curry said of the locale. "It really is. It's absolutely gorgeous up here and we've come at a really good time of year."

Thursday was the team's first day off from basketball since the nine-day international tour began Sunday. The players and coaches will have another day off today in Victoria before playing Vancouver Island University at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in Nanaimo, which is about a 90 minute drive north of Victoria.

Curry played around with a handful of lineups in the team's first three games.

The biggest surprise so far, she said, was incoming freshman Antiesha Brown.

"She's adapted to the system quickly," Curry said. "Her quickness really is going to afford her the opportunity to contribute."

Brown came off the bench in Tech's 78-41 victory against the University of the Fraser Valley on Wednesday to score a game-high 16 points after chipping in eight on Tuesday against the University of British Columbia.

The exhibitions marked the first opportunity for Shauntal Nobles, Teena Wickett and Casey Morris to play in a Texas Tech uniform. All three were with the team last year but unable to play.

Morris started in the backcourt Monday alongside fellow sophomore Monique Smalls, a duo Curry said she was excited to see play together.

Morris, who transferred from the University of California, tallied nine points and five rebounds in the 71-65 victory against the Vancouver Select on Monday.

"We played them together a lot on and off," Curry said of Morris and Smalls. "It really gives us, with Casey's size and her quickness. a good combination and two very good leaders and ball handlers. They give us more of a presence than we had a year ago defensively."

Curry said the trio of Wickett, Morris and Nobles were a bit rusty, but she liked their progress, especially from Nobles, who didn't appear to be hindered by the Achilles' tendon injury that kept her out the entire 2009-10 season.

The 6-foot-3 Wickett recorded a double-double Tuesday with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Incoming freshman Kelsi Baker has seen limited time because of a nagging hamstring injury. She played only four minutes Wednesday, and Curry hopes to get her more playing time Saturday.

Tech narrowly defeated the Vancouver Select, which included former college basketball players as well as professionals, including former Iowa State standout Lindsey Wilson. The Lady Raiders had a five-point halftime lead against the University of British Columbia but went on to win 85-49.

"The competition exceeded my expectations," Curry said. "I think that we had the opportunity to play different combinations. It's really been good for our kids to spend some time on the floor, understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses. It's been really positive for us."

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