TCU
BYU
Lady Frogs Down BYU, Earn Third Straight Win
2/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2009
PROVO, Utah—Four Lady Frogs scored in double figures, and TCU recorded one of its best performances on the boards this season Saturday during a 75-55 victory over BYU in Provo, Utah. The win helped the Frogs avenge last month's loss to the Cougars in Fort Worth.
TCU improved to 16-8 on the season and 8-3 in Mountain West Conference play. BYU dropped to 16-6 and 6-4, respectively.
The contest was a much different affair than the teams' first meeting on Jan. 14, when the Cougars recorded a 62-46 win during one of the Frogs' worst offensive showings in recent memory. BYU easily won both the turnover and rebounding battles in that game, but TCU turned the tables on the Cougars in Provo Saturday.
The Frogs, which had outrebounded their opponent only four times previously this season entering the game, ratcheted up the efforts on the defensive end to help run their winning streak to three games for the first time since early November. The squad grabbed a season-best 19 offensive boards on its way to posting a 44-39 edge in rebounding.
TCU's zone defense hounded the Cougars all afternoon, holding the team to only 31.7 percent shooting while forcing 19 turnovers. The defensive effort helped the Frogs record a 19-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
Sophomore guard Emily Carter once again led TCU in scoring with 16 points, seven of which came at the charity stripe. She also set a career high with four steals. Junior guard TK LaFleur went 3-for-3 from 3-point range while totaling 15 points, and she added eight boards, including five on the offensive end.
Sophomore forward Rachel Rentschler also was hot from outside the arc, sinking two treys. She finished with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Sophomore guard Helena Sverrisdottir, who was forced to sit much of the second half because of foul trouble, scored 12 points to go with seven rebounds.
BYU was led by guard Stephanie Buhler with nine points. She made three of the Cougars' nine 3-pointers. Guard Jazmine Foreman and center Cassie King totaled eight points and nine rebounds and eight points and eight boards, respectively.
The Frogs were able to build a three-point advantage in the first half before taking control of the contest by scoring 21 of the first 25 points after exiting the locker room. Carter totaled nine of the points with four free throws and a 3-pointer in transition off a nice feed from junior guard Shayla Moore. Moore later added a trey of her own, while two free throws by Sverrisdottir pushed the lead to 20 points, 53-33, with just 12 minutes remaining.
BYU responded with a 12-4 run that featured a trio of 3-pointers, two by Buhler. Guard Jaime Judkins gave the squad a fourth straight shot from outside to close within 11 points with 7:50 remaining, but an ensuing 8-0 TCU run virtually sealed the outcome. Five of the Frog points came from the charity stripe, with LaFleur starting the spurt by rattling in a 3-pointer.
TCU earned a six-point edge early at 11-5 after Rentschler drilled her second trey in the game's first four minutes. BYU took the lead for the first time at 17-15, when guard Sarah Hostetter hit a 3-pointer to complete an 8-0 Cougar run.
The Frogs trailed by two points late in the first half before closing the period on an 8-3 run. Sverrisdottir made a layup with only 13 seconds remaining to send TCU into the locker room up by three points, 32-29.
TCU finishes up a two-game road stretch Wednesday, when it face Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo., at 8 p.m. CT.
Players Mentioned
