Texas Tech women's basketball: Lady Raiders-UNLV matchup kicks off off twin bill in Canyon

The game of basketball has allowed Krista Gerlich to do many great things — win a national championship at Texas Tech among one of the highlights.

But the second-year Lady Raiders coach is just as excited to come full-circle as she returns to a place she once called home in Canyon — where she secured her first collegiate job to head a program.

Gerlich, along with the Texas Tech women's basketball team, will take on UNLV in a neutral-site contest at 2 p.m. Sunday inside the First United Bank Center.

After the contest, West Texas A&M is slated to host Northern New Mexico in an exhibition game.

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"I think it's a great experience and something that I think several people in our program are really going to enjoy," said Gerlich, whose squad is 6-2 overall. "But I also think our entire team is really gonna understand what West Texas basketball is all about. We have an opportunity to play a tough UNLV team and WT is going to play after us.

"It's just going to be a great environment. I think a lot of people are really excited about the opportunity to watch both teams play. It's a celebration of West Texas girls basketball. There's so much tradition, so many great coaches, so many great players that will in attendance and on the court. I think it's going to be a really fun day."

Gerlich was the head coach at West Texas for seven seasons — amassing an overall record of 168-53 and led the Lady Buffs to three Lone Star Conference titles during her stint in Canyon. She's also the fastest coach in WT history to reach 100 wins, 125 wins and 150 wins.

But Gerlich isn't the only person making a homecoming Sunday afternoon.

Guard Lexy Hightower, a former Lady Buffs standout, along with Bryn Gerlich who called Canyon home for more than half a decade, will be on the court. Chief of Staff Jared Boyd, a WT graduate, and Director of Basketball Operations Jordan Vessels, a former WT standout, will also return.

A two-time LSC Player of the Year, Hightower scored over 1,500 points in her career for West Texas. The Amarillo High standout was also a former District 2-6A MVP as senior and Golden Spread Girls Player of the Year in 5A and 6A.

"I think she's excited to go back and play in front of all her friends and family," Gerlich said of Hightower. "She's just right up the road, so it's not that much of a drive. But at the same time, she has some really great memories at West Texas A&M. And she poured her heart and soul into that university and that program for five years. And they love, and rightfully so."

Coincidentally, there will be another player making a homecoming from UNLV (6-2) which comes into the contest on a three-game winning streak following a 71-56 dispatching of CSU Bakersfield on the road Dec. 5.

Kenadee Winfrey, a freshman guard, was a standout at Canyon High School and helped the Lady Eagles claim a pair of district championships and advance to the state regional quarterfinals in both 2017-18 and 2019-20. Her father, Todd, finished up his first season as the Canyon head football coach after serving 21 years as an assistant under Blake Bryant.

The Lady Rebels are led by Desi-Rae Young (15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds), Essence Booker (15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds) and Nneka Obiazor (11.5 points, 6.3 rebounds) on offense. Young and Obizaor play in the post, while Booker is a guard leading UNLV into the contest after averaging a 22-point margin of victory over its last three opponents.

"They will play extremely hard, they play really good team basketball — they share the ball a lot," Krista Gerlich said of UNLV. "They play fast, they score a lot of points. So I expect them to come, play hard and get after us. It's a really big challenge for us, and we'll have to make sure that we come off of this break ready to go and make sure that we don't get behind early."

A small help on the offensive end is the emergence of All-America honorable mention guard Vivian Gray following an ankle injury. Despite playing in two games, the 6-foot-1 senior is averaging a team-best 14 points to go along with five rebounds per contest.

She netted 12 points in a 66-56 loss to then-No. 20 Georgia back on Dec. 2.

Bre'Amber Scott, a 5-11 junior guard, is also expected to be inserted into the lineup sooner rather than later. She would join Rhyle McKinney (12.8 points, 2.1 rebounds), Hightower (11/3 point, 5.1 rebounds) and Taylah Thomas (10.4 points, 9.6 rebounds).

Scott is out of her walking boot and taking part in shooting drills, but has not gone through a full practice yet, per Krista Gerlich, who listed the backcourt standout as "day-to-day."

And while the main focus will be on the court, don't be shocked if you see Krista Gerlich look around the stands and relish the moment before and after the contest.

"We won a lot of games in the First United Bank Center, so that's definitely going to bring back some wonderful memories," she said. "But, also, just the support. It's the same for the Lady Raiders.

"That's really why I was excited that it was my first head coaching job because at West Texas A&M, they support women's basketball just like they do here at Texas Tech. That's really, to me, one of the biggest things that I will always take from them is how much they treat everyone like family. Even when you leave and come back, they're still great to you."

TEXAS TECH VS. UNLV

When: 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: First United Bank Center, Canyon

Records: Texas Tech 6-2. UNLV 6-2

Radio: FM 107.7/FM 100.7 both in Lubbock

Online stream: ESPN+

Follow along: Follow @byJulioVega on Twitter for live updates, with postgame recap and interviews to follow on www.lubbockonline.com.

Notable: The Lady Raiders-Lady Rebels game is the first of a doubleheader, which included West Texas A&M hosting Northern New Mexico in an exhibition slated for 4:30 p.m. ... The game in Canyon also represents a homecoming for UNLV freshman guard Kenadee Winfrey, a former Canyon standout.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech Lady Raiders, UNLV matchup kicks off off twin bill in Canyon