TCU Comeback Bid Falls Short At SDSU

Saturday, February 28

San Diego, Calif.

4:00 PM

TCU

San Diego State

TCU Comeback Bid Falls Short At SDSU

2/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Feb. 28, 2009

BOX SCORE

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—TCU erased a 14-point second-half deficit Saturday, but the Lady Frogs were unable to complete the comeback during a 68-63 loss to San Diego State at the Aztecs' Cox Arena.

TCU (19-9; 11-4 MWC) fell to third place in the Mountain West Conference standings with the loss behind second-place SDSU (20-6; 11-3 MWC). The Aztecs will finish the regular season with a 14-0 record at home.

Trailing by 12 points, 50-38, with just over 12 minutes remaining in the contest, the Frogs made their charge with an 18-6 run that knotted the score at 56-56 by the 5:12 mark. Sverrisdottir had seven points in the stretch for TCU, including a key 3-pointer that cut the deficit to only two. The Frogs had trailed by as many as 14 points at one point in the half, but the squad totaled six offensive boards between the 11:11 and 7:53 marks to help boost their comeback cause.

San Diego State answered with a 7-0 spurt that proved to be the crucial stretch of the game. Guard Jene Morris totaled four points on fastbreak layups and Coco Davis added her only points of the game on a clutch 3-pointer during the run, which took less than a minute.

TCU was able to climb to within three points twice down the stretch, but each time were turned away after the Aztecs were successful on ensuing trips to the charity stripe.

Two Frogs recorded double-doubles in Sverrisdottir and junior guard TK LaFleur. Sverrisdottir scored 19 points to lead TCU Saturday, including 18 points in the second half, while adding a game-high 12 rebounds. LaFleur scored 16 and pulled down 10 boards. Senior center Michaela Younger gave her team quality minutes by totaling season highs of eight points and seven rebounds, while sophomore guard Emily Carter had eight points.

Morris and forward Jen Layton-Bailes each scored a game-high 21 points to pace the Aztecs. Layton-Bailes led the team with 14 points in the first half, while Morris scored 19 of her total after halftime. Morris also added a game-high seven steals, while guard Quenese Davis chipped in 11 points and a season-best 10 assists.

Both teams had sloppy starts, combining for 20 turnovers in the game's opening 12:39. TCU was held without a field goal for the first seven minutes and managed only three free throws during the stretch.

TCU found itself down by 12 points, 24-12, after a 14-0 SDSU run that ended with just over five minutes remaining in the period. Quenese Davis had a miracle 3-point shot as the shot clock expired to give the Aztecs an eight-point lead, followed by a putback on an offensive board by sophomore center Paris Johnson. Quenese Davis finished the run with a pair of free throws before TCU junior forward Chantelle John sank a jumper that ended a nearly five-minute Frog scoreless streak.

SDSU twice had leads of 13 points in the first half, the second of which came on a Layton-Bailes putback with 2:04 left on the clock. Layton-Bailes also scored the squad's final bucket of the half to give her 14 in the period.

TCU looks to regroup and enter post-season play on a high note when it concludes the regular season next Saturday, March 7, with a Noon contest against MWC-leading Utah. The game will be televised live by CBS College Sports.

Postgame Notes

TCU 63, San Diego State 68

San Diego, Calif. (Cox Arena)

Feb. 28, 2009

-TCU's record fell to 19-9 overall and 11-4 in MWC play.

-Emily Carter recorded her 500th career point on a first-half 3-pointer.

-TCU's 23 turnovers matched a season high set during a loss earlier this season at Texas A&M.

-TCU, which posted a 42-39 rebounding advantage, lost for the first time when outrebounding its opponent. The Frogs had been 7-0 when winning or tying the opponent in the category this season.

-Helena Sverrisdottir recorded her seventh double-double of the season, while TK LaFleur registered her third.

-Sverrisdottir moved into third place on TCU's single-season free throws made list (132). She trails season record holder Sandora Irvin by only 27 free throws.