Rewards of the Texas Tech women’s basketball team’s turnaround season have begun to roll in.
Krista Gerlich was named Big 12 coach of the year, and Snudda Collins the Sixth player of the year, the conference announced Tuesday.
In her sixth season at the helm, Gerlich led the Lady Raiders to a 25-6 regular season, including 12-6 in Big 12 play. That’s the most wins since 2003-04, with the postseason still ahead.
Tech finished 19-18 last season, with a 4-14 mark in the Big 12.
The 12 conference wins are more than the past two seasons combined and the most since the 2004-05 season. Tech tied for fourth in the Big 12 and will be the No. 5 seed in this week’s conference tournament.
Collins is also a key contributor to the change in fortunes. The Ole Miss transfer is second on the team with 14.8 points per game, coming off the bench in all 31 games. She also averages 2.7 rebounds. Collins, who also made the all-Big 12 second team, is a 44.4% shooter, including 39.3% from beyond the arc.
Bailey Maupin was named an all-Big 12 first team selection, and Jaylnn Bristow was an honorable mention.
Maupin leads the team with 15.3 points per game, along with 3.5 rebounds, 82 assists and 48 steals. Bristow boasts a team-high 67 blocks and 5.7 rebounds, along with 11.1 points per game, 40 assists and 39 steals.
The Lady Raiders await their first-round opponent at 11 a.m. Thursday. Tech will face the winner of the No. 13 seed Kansas State and No. 12 seed Cincinnati matchup.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Big 12 women’s basketball awards: Texas Tech boasts two superlatives
Reporting by Stephen Garcia, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
