TCU
UNLV
Sharp Lady Frogs Earn Seventh Straight Win vs. UNLV
2/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2009
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
FORT WORTH--TK LaFleur and Helena Sverrisdottir combined for 27 first-half points to push TCU to a 19-point halftime lead during a 75-46 win over UNLV Tuesday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The victory finished off the team's third-straight regular-season sweep of the Rebels.
The Frogs moved to 15-8 overall this season and 7-3 in the Mountain West Conference with their second straight win. UNLV fell to 10-13 and 3-7 in the MWC.
TCU ran out to a big first-half lead and never looked back during one of its sharpest outings of the season. The squad shot 48.4 percent from the field and went 10-of-18 from 3-point range. The defensive effort was there as well, as the Frogs forced UNLV into 25 turnovers, a high for a TCU opponent this season.
Sophomore guard Helena Sverrisdottir directed TCU's offense masterfully, matching a career high with 10 assists against only one turnover. Her second helper of the evening gave her 200 for her career, while she is now the only player in the MWC this season with two double-digit assist performances. She added 16 points, five rebounds and a personal-best five steals for good measure.
Junior guard TK LaFleur was on the receiving end of numerous Sverrisdottir passes, as she finished with a game-high 21 points. LaFleur went 8-of-16 from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc on the way to her sixth 20-point effort this season.
Also reaching double figures was sophomore guard Emily Carter, who continued her consistent recent pace with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Carter also drained three treys during her 11th straight double-digit outing, a number that ties Sverrisdottir's team season high set in the opening 11 contests.
Sophomore forward Rachel Rentschler pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, while 5-7 freshman guard Antoinette Thompson hauled in a career-high six, including five in the first half to help TCU built a 19-point advantage by intermission.
Rebel center Shamela Hampton led UNLV with 16 points, while guard Brittany Halberg totaled six assists.
TCU, boosted by fast starts by LaFleur and Sverrisdottir, jumped out to a substantial early lead in the opening eight minutes. LaFleur totaled 10 points, and Sverrisdottir five, during a four and one-half minute stretch to give the Frogs a 22-9 advantage by the 11:51 mark. Sverrisdottir added a layup on a nifty give-and-go from sophomore forward Micah Garoutte, while Thompson followed with only her third trey of the year. A Carter 3-pointer was the final dagger in a 21-0 run that pushed the lead to 24 points, the largest margin of the first half.
In addition to the Frogs' crisp effort on the offensive end, the squad also stepped up on defense, holding the Rebels without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes until guard Kalie Scanlon drilled a 3-pointer with 8:24 left in the half. UNLV missed eight straight shots and committed seven turnovers during its drought, which produced only two points via the free-throw line.
Thompson mixed it up inside with the Rebels in the first half and pulled down four defensive rebounds to help TCU keep its run alive. The Frogs finished the half on a 7-2 run, as she notched a putback on her fifth board to boost the score to 44-25 at intermission.
UNLV was able to keep itself in the game early in the second half and three times was able to climb within 14 points until a 9-0 TCU run closed out the victory with just over eight minutes remaining. Sverrisdottir and LaFleur finished off the spurt with a pair of baskets--Sverrisdottir's a putback off a missed 3-pointer by LaFleur, who later drained a long trey on the next possession.
TCU looks to run its winning streak to three games for the first time since the opening month of the season Saturday when it plays at BYU. Tip-off at the Cougars' Marriott Center is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.
Players Mentioned
