TCU
Utah
Lady Frogs Rally for Win vs. Utah
3/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 7, 2009
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
Postgame Press Conference (All-Access)
FORT WORTH—TCU trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half Saturday, but Helena Sverrisdottir and TK LaFleur led an impressive Lady Frog comeback during a 53-47 win over Utah in the team's regular-season finale at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
The victory clinched TCU's eighth 20-win season in the last nine years, as the squad improved to 20-9 overall and 12-4 in Mountain West Conference play. Utah, which grabbed at lease a share of the MWC regular season championship with a win Wednesday, fell to 20-9 overall and 13-3 in the league.
The game was tied, 40-40, with 7:33 to play before TCU made the game's most important run, outscoring the Utes 10-3 over the next four minutes. Sverrisdottir drained a key trey as the shot clock wound down with 5:12 remaining to put TCU up four, and LaFleur followed with a layup while being fouled. She added the free throw before two more by sophomore forward Rachel Rentschler that gave the Frogs a 50-43 edge with just over four minutes left.
Utah pulled itself back to within three points on a long jumper by center Katie King, but TCU was able to clinch the win at the free throw line with two shots by Rentschler and one by Sverrisdottir in the game's waning minutes.
Sverrisdottir recorded her eighth double-double of the season with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds, while LaFleur added 15 points. The two players combined to go 12-of-14 at the free-throw line, mostly in the second half as Utah and TCU were fighting for control of the contest. For the game, the Frogs outscored the Utes by a 17-6 margin at the line. Rentschler totaled eight points and 10 boards and went 4-for-4 at the line for TCU.
The Frogs were able to limit Utah's high-scoring duo of forward Kaylee Whipple and guard Morgan Warburton to 10 points each on the afternoon. Both players owned single-game averages this season of at least 17 points. Forward Halie Sawyer, the only other Ute to finish in double figures, posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
Neither team lit up the nets Saturday, with each finishing the game shooting only 28.6 percent from the field. Utah did post a huge rebounding advantage (51-38) and was able to grab 17 offensive boards, but TCU limited mistakes while committing only seven turnovers compared to 13 for the Utes.
The Frogs found themselves in a deep hole in the first half, trailing by 13 points, 25-12, with just over seven minutes remaining until intermission. Utah sank five of its first 11 attempts from 3-point range, while TCU went 0-for-9 from behind the arc to begin the game.
TCU eventually found its outside touch and turned up its defensive intensity with about five minutes left in the period. LaFleur started up the Frog offense with a layup and foul shot before three consecutive TCU 3-point baskets, including two by Sverrisdottir. The final bucket turned into a four-point play on a 1-of-2 free-throw effort by senior center Micaela Younger, who was fouled underneath after Sverrisdottir released the ball.
Younger finished with four boards in what was most likely the final home game of her career, and she also provided some solid defensive work that helped TCU build its 13-1 run. The scoring streak coincided with a seven-minutes stretch where the Frogs held the Utes to only a single free throw by Sawyer.
Younger's point cut the lead to only one with 47 left in the half, but Sawyer scored in the final seconds for a 28-25 score at the break. The Frogs then took their first lead with two straight buckets to open the second half.
TCU returns to action next week for the Mountain West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. The Frogs will be either the No. 2 or 3 seed, depending on outcomes of the San Diego State-UNLV and Wyoming-New Mexico contests that will be played later Saturday.
The Frogs will only earn the No. 2 seed if UNLV and Wyoming both win, otherwise they will be the No. 3 seed. The second seed begins play in Friday's second semifinal game at 4:30 p.m. CT, while the third seed sees action in the quarterfinals Wednesday at 9 p.m. CT.
Players Mentioned
