(Editor's note: Texas Tech senior forward Plenette Pierson, a former Big 12 Freshman of the Year, will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season.)

Jan. 13, 2003

	Pierson

Well, this week we started our conference season. Our first conference game was at Texas A&M. It didn't start off so good for me as I left my game shoes at the hotel. Coach Weese had to go back and get them for me. The first time he came back he had Jamie Nagle's shoes, as she was my roommate and wasn't able to suit up (she had surgery earlier this season). So he had to go back to the hotel again and get the right ones.

We started off slow but we finished the game strong. During this game I recorded my third double-double of the season. I ended up with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Jia Perkins also scored 20 points. We ended up winning by 20, and it was a great way to start conference.

The next conference game was on Saturday against Baylor. This was going to be a great game because one of our former players transferred to Baylor. We also thought this would be a good game because we knew coming in that Baylor was bringing a very athletic and scrappy team. Well, we had a tough time getting things to go our way but my team came through for a victory.

We had another big crowd in attendance, which really helped us. Throughout the game I wasn't able to score that much because Baylor's defense was smothering me, but somehow I managed to make some passes to my open teammates for great shots.

We really had several people step up and play great. One of the people who stepped up when called upon was LaToya Davis. She played awesome defense, and also had a great impact on the offensive end as well. This game was very physical and high intensity. We ended up winning by 14 points, and LaToya was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week.

Also on this day, we honored Texas Tech's 1993 national championship team. It was such an honor to meet these players and have them watch us play. After the game, we had a banquet for them. They told stories about the 1992-93 season and shared memories they had about being Lady Raiders. It was a fun night for all of us.

This week we are looking forward to going to Norman, Okla., where we will hopefully get a win, and then coming home to play Oklahoma State on Saturday.

For more on Pierson and Texas Tech, visit the Lady Raiders' official athletic site.