The Texas Tech Lady Raiders moved to 2-0 on their Foreign Tour with a 75-70 win over Madrid Select on Saturday, at the Palacio De Los Deportes in Madrid.
 
It was a seesaw battle for the majority of the first half as Madrid Select held a 22-19 lead through the first quarter. Recee’ Caldwell carried the offense early, scoring seven of Tech’s nine points.
 
“We didn’t start very good, with 3 early turnovers,” head coach Candi Whitaker said. “Recee’ [Caldwell] calmed us down and started making shots for us. She kept us in the ball game and led our team in a lot of ways.  I was proud to see that leadership from her.” 
 
However, the Lady Raiders took a 29-28 lead, before Madrid tied the game at 30. From there, Tech went on a 10-0 spurt to take a 40-30 lead.
 
“We went on a span where we were really clicking,” Whitaker said. “I thought we played really well together, especially when we were small, having four guards on the floor.  I loved our versatility today—at times going with 2 bigs and other times having four guards. They played really well together and that’s where we were able to separate ourselves in a tight early game. I was proud of that run.”
 
At the half, the Lady Raiders held a 45-34 lead, behind 11 first-half points from Arella Guirantes.
 
Tech kept Madrid at length through the third quarter, holding a 64-50 lead through three frames. The Lady Raiders had a comfortable 70-57 lead with 7:01 to go, but Madrid went on a 10-3 run to close the gap to 73-67 with 2:13 remaining.
 
However, Caldwell found Jada Terry underneath for a quick two with 1:29 to go to seal the win.
 
Freshman Brittany Brewer led the Lady Raiders with 16 points and 11 rebounds, the first double-double for Tech on the Foreign Tour. She hit eight of her 10 field goal attempts, becoming the second Lady Raider in as many games to do so (Guirantes).
 
“Brittany did a great job of playing with 2 fouls in the first half,” Whitaker said. “As a young player, being able to play while not picking up her third for a long stretch is huge.  Also, Arella went on a scoring streak and gave us some momentum going into half.”
 
Brewer was one of four Lady Raiders to score in double figures, joining Caldwell (15), Guirantes (12) and Terry (12).
 
Tech will be back in action on Tuesday, in Barcelona, Spain, taking on Barcelona Select.