TCU
Utah
TCU Women Knocked Out of MWC Tourney
3/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 12, 2010
Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 
LAS VEGAS—TCU suffered an early exit from the Conoco Mountain West Conference Championships Friday during a 69-57 semifinal loss to No. 4 seed Utah at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The squad, which fell to 22-8 overall this season, was unable to earn its third win over the Utes this season. The Frogs won the season's previous two matchups, including a 105-96 four-overtime thriller last month in Salt Lake City.
TCU, the tournament's top seed and MWC regular-season champion, struggled finding the bottom of the net all afternoon and finished shooting a season-low 29.3 percent from the field (17-of-58). Utah had no such problems of its own, as it made 54.8 percent (23-of-42) of its shots, the best mark this season against the Frogs. As opposed to most of its previous losses, TCU was able to take care of the basketball this time, finishing with eight turnovers, only one off its season-low set in the opener against Houston Baptist.
The key to the game proved to Utah's defensive effort against the Frogs, including a key seven-minute period to start the second half that saw the Utes extend their five-point halftime lead into a 23-point edge. Meanwhile, TCU could find no answer for Utah forward Halie Sawyer, who totaled game highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds.
Senior guard TK LaFleur led TCU's offensive attack with 15 points. Fellow senior guard Eboni Mangum totaled 13 while making 5-of-9 shots, including a 3-for-5 effort from 3-point range. Junior guard/forward Helena Sverrisdottir scored 12 points, but she went only 3-for-14 from the field on the afternoon.
TCU put together a relatively decent defensive effort against forward Kalee Whipple, who had a Mountain West Conference-record 45 points in the two teams' most recent meeting. Whipple went only 3-of-11 from the field while totaling 14 points and 8 boards.
Guards Iwalani Rodrigues and Janita Badon more than made up for the difference in Whipple's points. Rodgrigues scored 13 while making 3-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc, while Badon totaled six points, seven points and a game-high five assists.
TCU struggled on offense for much of the first half, scoring only eight points in the first 11:36. The Frogs were able to stay close and even held a four-point advantage, 8-4, until the Utes put together an 11-0 run midway through the period. Rodrigues scored Utah's first four points in the stretch before Sawyer added the final seven, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key that gave her team a 15-8 edge with 8:50 remaining.
Utah extended its lead to as many as eight points, but TCU was able to go 5-for-12 from the field down the stretch to climb within two points at the half, 27-22.
The Utes wasted no time in taking control after halftime, reeling off an 18-0 run that put the Frogs in a 23-point hole. Utah sank a trio of 3-pointers during the seven-minute stretch.
TCU now waits to see if it will earn an at-large bid to NCAA Tournament, which begins next weekend. This season's bracket will be announced live on the NCAA Selection Show, which airs Monday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Players Mentioned
