TCU
Colorado State
#20 TCU Stays Hot, Takes Care of CSU
1/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2010
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FORT WORTH - No. 20 TCU earned its 10th victory in its last 11 games Wednesday, taking down visiting Colorado State, 78-51, at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Junior Emily Carter led the Frogs in scoring again during the victory with 18 points.
The Frogs improved to 15-4 with the win and kept themselves perched atop the Mountain West Conference standings with a 5-1 mark in league play.
Two streaks were kept alive with the victory, chief among them a home-court winning streak that has now reached 17 consecutive games. The winning streak is only two shy of the school record set between the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. TCU also remained unbeaten against CSU since joining the MWC prior to 2005-06, a stretch of nine straight contests.
Using its recent successful formula of aggressive offense and opportunistic defense, TCU took command of the game early and never looked back. The Frogs moved out to a double-digit lead just over 10 minutes into the contest, led by 14 points at intermission and by as many as 33 with six minutes remaining.
As has been the case all season, TCU fed off its opponent's mistakes. The Rams were forced into giving up the ball 22 times, including 13 times in the first half. The miscues were turned into a 25-14 Frog advantage in points off turnovers by game's end.
Carter again paced TCU's offensive attack, leading the squad in scoring for the eighth time in the last nine games. She went 7-of-9 from the floor and drilled 3-of-4 attempts from 3-point range Wednesday.
Also reaching double figures were junior guard/forward Helena Sverrisdottir with 14 points (6-of-9 field goals) and senior TK LaFleur with 11. LaFleur's ninth point of the evening pushed her over the 1,000-point mark for her career. She has scored 654 points since transferring to TCU from Nebraska prior to the 2007-08 season.
Sverrisdottir led TCU in rebounds (six) and assists (five). The Frogs outrebounded CSU on the evening by a 41-38 margin, marking the 11th time this season TCU has won the battle on the glass. The Frogs are 10-1 in those games.
Forward Chantilla Van Grinsven led Colorado State with 20 points, although she was forced into seven turnovers. TCU was able to contain guard Kim Mestdagh for most of the evening, as the MWC's scoring leader totaled 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting, including 2-of-10 from behind the arc. Mestagh entered the game averaging a league-best 17.2 points and 3.3 treys per contest.
TCU went 8-of-12 from the field to open the game while running out to a 17-8 advantage in the first 8:30. CSU committed nine turnovers in the stretch. The Frogs went into the half with a 37-23 edge.
The outcome was settled for good early in the second, as TCU hit the floor from the locker room with a 12-4 run to push its lead past 20 points for the first time. While the Frogs lived mostly inside the arc in the first period, the second stanza was a different story. The squad went 5-for-7 from 3-point range after halftime while pulling away from the Rams.
The Frogs look to keep themselves at the top of the MWC title race Saturday, when they travel to Albuquerque, N.M., for a 2:30 p.m. CT matchup against New Mexico. The contest will be televised nationally by CBS College Sports.
Players Mentioned
