TCU
San Diego State
No. 22 TCU Stymies San Diego State, 80-63
1/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2010
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Postgame Press Conference Video
FORT WORTH—No. 22 TCU bounced back from its first league loss of the season with an 80-63 victory over MWC preseason favorite San Diego State Saturday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The Frogs ended the Aztecs' seven-game winning streak and an eight-game conference winning streak dating back to last season.
TCU improved to 13-4 overall and 3-1 in the MWC, while SDSU dropped to 11-5 and 3-1 in the league.
The Lady Frogs came out firing from the start of the game before leaning on their defense to help turn away San Diego State. TCU, which never trailed Saturday, opened up a 10-point lead in the first nine minutes and led by as many as 24 points late in the second half. The squad forced SDSU into 23 turnovers for the game, which TCU was able to turn into a 21-5 scoring advantage.
Juniors Helena Sverrisdottir and Emily Carter each broke the 20-point barrier for TCU, marking the first time this season two Frogs accomplished the feat in the same game. Sverrisdottir paced the squad with a game-high 22 points and added seven rebounds and four assists. She went 6-of-13 overall from the field and 8-of-9 at the charity stripe. Carter went for 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting while making each of her six free throws attempts.
Also reaching double figures was senior Eboni Mangum, who had 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting, although her most important contribution came on the defensive end of the court. Mangum pressured the Aztecs into a career-high five steals and often was the main defender guarding MWC Preseason Player of the Year Jené Morris. Morris scored only 12 points (5-of-19 field goals) and had eight turnovers.
Mangum was not the only Frog who showed her defensive mettle Saturday. Senior TK LaFleur collected four steals of her own, while freshman Delisa Gross had a career-best and TCU-season high four blocked shots. Fellow freshman Starr Crawford reached double digits on the glass for the second straight game with 11 rebounds.
In addition to Morris, two other Aztecs also scored in double figures in juniors Allision Duffy (16 points) and Paris Johnson (12 points). Johnson added eight boards to lead SDSU.
TCU hit the floor with high energy from the outset Saturday. The Frogs connected three times from 3-point range in the opening five minutes, twice by Sverrisdottir and once by LaFleur, to keep the Aztecs off-balance. Following the early outside success, TCU was able to move the ball inside. The squad built its early 10-point lead with the help of an 11-2 run fueled by three Carter layups on drives to the hoop.
The Frogs took a 38-32 lead to the locker room despite being outshot by the Aztecs in the first half, 48.1 percent to 39.4. SDSU committed 13 first-half turnovers to only seven for TCU.
The second period began about as well as it could have for TCU, as the squad immediately rattled off a 14-4 run for a 16-point advantage with just 13:38 to play. Sophomore Antoinette Thompson opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer from the corner, and Sverrisdottir ended the push with three free throws after being fouled on a deep shot with only two second remaining on the shot clock.
TCU continued to attack the rim in the second half and was able to put several Aztecs in foul trouble. Morris eventually fouled out, while Johnson and Duffy each had four fouls each. The attacking style helped TCU go to the free throw line 12 more times (27-15) than SDSU and build a 21-8 scoring advantage at the stripe for the afternoon.
The Frogs boosted their lead to 24 points on a Mangum basket with just over five minutes remaining. The Aztecs were able to climb back within 13 points thanks to a 17-6 run in the final three minutes, but the outcome had been decided by that point.
TCU held SDSU to only 31.6 percent shooting from the field in the second half while putting away the victory.
TCU will take the next week off from competition before returning to action next Saturday, Jan. 23, at UNLV. Tip off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
Players Mentioned
