TCU
BYU
Lady Frogs Handle BYU, 64-40
2/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2010
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
FORT WORTH—TCU used a second-half surge to run past BYU Wednesday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, 64-40, in a matchup of two of the three teams tied for first place in the Mountain West Conference.
The Lady Frogs improved to 16-5 overall this season while concluding the opening half of their Mountain West Conference schedule with a league-best 6-2 mark. At worst, the squad will enter the second half of the schedule Saturday in a tie for first place with San Diego State.
In addition to bouncing back from Wednesday's disappointing road loss at New Mexico, TCU also recorded its 18th consecutive home win. The streak currently ranks as the longest in the MWC and is only one win shy of the school record set between the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. BYU was the last team to defeat TCU at home, a 62-46 decision on Jan. 13, 2009.
TCU led by only five at halftime, 26-21, before taking control of the game early in the second period. The Frogs outscored the Cougars 25-8 in the opening 11:30 of the second half, as BYU was able to make only 4-of-18 shots from the field.
The Frogs were off from there, eventually building their lead to as many 27 points in the final two minutes of the game. In addition to a stout defensive performance, key for the Frogs in the second half was their work on the glass. TCU outrebounded the Cougars by a 25-13 margin in the second half.
Junior guard Emily Carter led TCU in scoring for the team-leading 11th time with 16 points. Most of Carter's damage came at the charity stripe, as she sank 9-of-10 shots. She did manage to extend her streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 19 with a second-half basket.
Freshman forward Starr Crawford was a go-to player down low for the Frogs throughout the evening, scoring 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. She added eight rebounds to help TCU post a 41-30 advantage for the game on the boards. Fellow freshman forward DeLisa Gross added 10 points, her fourth double-figure performance of the season. Gross went 2-of-3 from behind the arc.
Sophomore Antoinette Thompson also gave the Frogs a spark throughout the night with her aggressiveness both on the defensive end of the court and glass. The 5-7 point guard matched Crawford for the team high in rebounds with eight and even recorded a blocked shot on BYU's 6-1 forward/center Alexis Kaufusi.
Junior guard/forward Helena Sverrisdottir dished out a game-high eight assists, her third game with at least eight helpers this season.
The Frogs regrouped from a poor offensive outing against New Mexico with an efficient evening against the Cougars, shooting 45.7 percent from the field. BYU employed full-court pressure throughout the game that appeared to bother TCU early, but the Frogs eventually adjusted and took advantage in the final 50 minutes, posting a 13-2 advantage in fastbreak points.
Once the ball reached BYU's end of the court, TCU went on the attack, often driving the ball inside resulting in trips to the charity stripe. While only fouled 13 times by the Cougars, the squad shot 20 free throws, totaling 17 points. BYU attempted only three free throws all evening.
TCU trailed by as many as six points in the first half before locking down on the Cougars at the defensive end of the court to claim the lead. BYU was held to only two field goals and six points total over an extended stretch totaling 11:17, as the Frogs moved in front by eight points, 24-16. BYU guard Coriann Wood hit a 3-pointer with 1:39 left in the period to bring the Cougars to within five at the break, 26-21.
Despite the Wood's long trey, TCU still managed to hold the squad to only 28.6 percent shooting from the field in the half. BYU also accumulated 10 turnovers, although the Frogs also had 10 against the Cougars' full-court press. For the game, BYU shot only 25.8 percent.
The Frogs look to tie their home winning streak Saturday at Noon, when they play host to Air Force at the DMC. The game will be broadcast live by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.).
