TCU
Houston
TCU Women Tame Cougars in Houston
12/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2009
HOUSTON—Junior Helena Sverrisdottir scored 26 points and the TCU women held off a second-half Houston charge to escape the Cougars' Hofheinz Pavilion with a 66-61 victory Thursday.
TCU moved to 9-3 on the season with its fourth straight victory while improving to 6-0 against teams from the state of Texas. It marks the first time in program history the Frogs have won their first six games against in-state schools.
After leading by as many as 14 points early in the second half, TCU saw its advantage dwindle to only one point twice during the final 20 minutes. Both times the Frogs were up for the challenge, including UH's last-gasp effort inside the final two minutes. Following a 7-2 run that pushed the score to 60-59 with only 1:39 remaining, TCU was able to make the plays it needed leading to a 6-2 scoring advantage down the stretch.
The biggest shot of the game came from junior guard TK LaFleur, who hit a turnaround jumper deep in the paint off an inbounds pass with 1:11 left. Junior guard Emily Carter had only four seconds remaining on the shot clock prior to inbounding the ball, but she managed to get her pass deep in the paint to LaFleur, who put the team in front by three points.
Following a missed Houston jumper and a 1-of-2 trip to the free-throw line for LaFleur that put TCU up four, UH guard Porshe Landry cut the lead in half by sinking a jumper with only 28.1 seconds remaining. However, the points would be the last for the Cougars. TCU's defense held off two Houston shot attempts, while Carter sank 3-of-4 free throws in the final seconds to clinch victory.
Sverrisdottir put together TCU's best individual offensive game of the season by hitting 10-of-17 field goals, including 3-of-4 shots from 3-point range. She tied career highs for field goals and treys made while falling just one point shy of the personal-best 27 points she recorded last season against Utah (Feb. 4, 2009). She added six rebounds Thursday.
Carter continued her strong recent play with 17 points and seven boards. She went 5-for-7 from the field and 5-of-6 at the charity stripe. Carter is averaging 19.0 points over her last four games, all TCU victories. LaFleur chipped in 10 points and five rebounds despite playing with a sinus infection, and freshman forward Starr Crawford led the Frogs in rebounding for the 11th time in 12 games this season by pulling down eight boards.
Landry and guard Brittney Scott both scored in double figures to lead Houston with 19 and 12 points, respectively. Landry fueled the Cougars late push with 17 points in the second half.
The opening period featured several wild momentum swings. The Frogs, despite being outrebounded by a 13-5 margin to open the contest, stepped out to a six-point edge in the first five minutes. Houston responded by scoring 15 of the game's next 19 points before claiming its largest lead of the game at 23:16 with 6:39 to play in the period.
TCU followed by turning its defensive effort up a notch in what proved to be the most crucial stretch of the game. An 18-2 run to end the first half highlighted by seven LaFleur points put the Frogs up for good. Sverrisdottir drilled a trey with only four seconds remaining to send the squad into the locker room with a 34-25 advantage.
The Frogs complete their 2009-10 non-conference schedule Saturday, when they play host to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The game, scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip-off, will precede the 7 p.m. TCU men's contest vs. Rice.
Players Mentioned
