TCU
UNLV
TCU Runs Past Rebels in Second Half
1/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2010
LAS VEGAS - No. 23 TCU used aggressive performances on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court in the second half to erase a seven-point halftime deficit Saturday during an 81-61 road win over UNLV. The Frogs scored 53 points in the final period while shooting nearly 60 percent from the field.
TCU improved to 14-4 overall, which ties for the best 18-game start in school history (also 2000-01, 20010-02 and 2003-04). The Frogs are tied with BYU for first place in the Mountain West Conference standings with a 4-1 league record.
The Frogs led by double digits early in the game before suffering through a long drought that saw the squad fall behind by a 35-28 count at intermission. The squad responded with a 21-0 run out of the locker room to run past the Lady Rebels in the second half.
Junior guard Emily Carter scored 19 points, including 13 in the second half. She was a perfect 8-of-8 at the free-throw line. Fellow junior guard/forward Helena Sverrisdottir also totaled 13 points in the second half after going scoreless in the first. Sverrisdottir added five rebounds and five assists.
Senior guard Eboni Mangum came up big for the Frogs with 15 points, only two shy of her career high, while making 7-of-10 attempts from the field. Freshman forward Starr Crawford also totaled 15 points while adding a team-best nine rebounds.
UNLV had three players reach double figures in forward Jaime Smith (15 points), guard India Chaney (13 points) and guard Erica Helms (12 points).
Trailing by seven points at the half, TCU produced an intense start to the second period that proved to be the key stretch of the game. The Frogs ran out of the gate with a 21-0 run to turn a 35-28 deficit into a 49-35 lead. Sverrisdottir had seven points in the stretch, while Crawford totaled six.
Much of the credit for the offensive burst at the start of the half was due to TCU locking down the Rebels on the defensive end. The Frogs pressured UNLV into nine turnovers in the first nine minutes of the second half, while the Rebels also started 0-for-8 from the field in the stanza. The squad did not find the scoreboard until the 12:15 mark.
The Frogs themselves sizzled from the field in the period, connecting at a rate of 58.6 percent after halftime, while their aggressive play also earned them chances at the charity stripe. TCU had 21 free-throw attempts in the second half compared to only 10 for the Rebels and finished the game 20-for-25 at the line.
TCU got off to a quick start to the contest, building a double-digit advantage less than eight minutes into the game. Mangum scored the team's first six points, while Carter and junior guard TK LaFleur combined for a trio of 3-pointers that put the Frogs up 11 at 19-8.
The lead did not last long, however, as the Rebels asserted themselves on defense to help steal the momentum. Following Carter's second 3-pointer, TCU was able to find only four more buckets in the final 12 minutes of the first half. A 9-0 UNLV run built off seven Chaney points changed the lead for the first time in the game.
Crawford gave the Frogs their final field goal of the half with just over five minutes remaining. It was also the only TCU shot that found the net in the final 8:50. UNLV jumped on top by six points on back-to-back 3-pointers by Smith and Helms inside four minutes remaining, and TCU was only able to muster a Mangum free throw before entering the locker room with a seven-point deficit.
TCU next plays host to Colorado State Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised on a tape-delay basis by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.).
Players Mentioned
