Lady Raiders in Greece: Day Three

ATHENS – Head coach Krista Gerlich and the Lady Raiders are through three days and two games in Greece.

After spending some much-needed free time in Athens during the morning hours, the Lady Raiders enjoyed a late lunch/pre-game meal.

Following a brief film session, the players, coaches and staff all boarded the bus and made the 40-minute drive through Athens for game number two.

The Lady Raiders closed the first period strong against Olympiacos, using a 17-0 run to take a 24-7 lead after one quarter of play.

Another strong showing in the second period gave the visitors a 44-20 lead after 20 minutes of play.

Wednesday’s second half was a similar story to the first, as a quick start helped the Lady Raiders outscore Olympiacos 20-10 in the third quarter. The 10-point margin increased Tech’s lead to 64-30 after three periods.

In the fourth, the Lady Raiders continued to excel on the defensive end, allowing just nine total points, three of which came on a 40-foot three pointer with less than a second to play. Combined with an 18-point output on offensive, Tech cruised to an 82-39 victory.

UP NEXT:
Tomorrow the players, coaches and staff will embark on a private boat tour of the Saronic Gulf and surrounding islands before having free time in the evening to explore Athens. On Friday, the travel party will head to Chania, Crete for the second leg of the foreign tour.

COACH SPEAK (HC KRISTA GERLICH):
“I was very, very pleased with how we played tonight. I was concerned about it being a back-to-back game and how that might impact our energy and intensity. But I think everyone was sharper. We all got a little more sleep today and got our second wind. I was super pleased with how we started the game, especially defensively. We got to watch some film from the previous night and pointed out some specific areas we needed to improve on. We executed offensively better and crashed the boards tremendously. We had just 17 offensive boards total last night, and we had 18 in the first half alone tonight. I really liked our tenacity and I felt like our energy level was better. After all of the travel and days of touring, we gave them a chance to relax today which allowed the girls to get their legs back under them.”

Release courtesy of Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics