TCU
New Mexico
Frogs Earn MWC Title, Finish Unbeaten at Home
3/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 2, 2010
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
| Highlights 
Post-Game Interviews : Jeff Mittie | TK LaFleur | Starr Crawford
FORT WORTH—The TCU women's basketball team put the finishing touches on its first Mountain West Conference regular-season championship Tuesday with a 66-54 victory over New Mexico at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
TCU improved to 22-6 overall and 12-3 in MWC play. The squad, which still has one more regular-season game to play Saturday at BYU, locked up the No. 1 seed for next week's Mountain West Conference Championship tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. The top seed gives the Frogs two byes, which means the team will begin play Friday in the semifinal round.
The Frogs finished their season at home the same way they began the year—unbeaten. TCU's 15-0 home record marked the first unbeaten home run in program history, as well as only the second such campaign in the 11 years of the Mountain West Conference. Utah (13-0 in 2002-03) was previously the only team with a perfect home record.
TCU's regular-season conference championship marked the third in program history, with each coming in difference leagues. The Frogs previously won one crown each in the WAC (2000-01) and Conference USA (2001-02).
TCU used a key run at the end of the first half Tuesday to push out to a 16-point lead at halftime, then turned back a pair of second-half Lobo rallies while moving on to victory.
Senior guard TK LaFleur, one of three Frogs seniors playing their finals games at the DMC, put together one of her best performances of the season to help boost TCU's cause. She recorded her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds while adding three assists. LaFleur sank 7-of-16 shots on the evening, including a trio of 3-pointers. Two of the treys came in a crucial 13-0 Frog run early in the second half after UNM had whittled TCU's 16-point lead down to only five points.
Joining LaFleur in double figures were juniors Helena Sverrisdottir and Emily Carter with 12 points each. Sverrisdottir added seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. Freshman Starr Crawford also had a big game with eight points, seven boards and a game-high four steals.
Like LaFleur, fellow senior guard Eboni Mangum also put up a good performance in her final home contest with seven points, including a 3-pointer on her only attempt, and three steals.
New Mexico center Valerie Kast, pushed into extensive duty after starter Jessica Kielpinski suffered a broken nose in the first half, led UNM with 14 points, eight rebounds, six blocked shots and four assists. Guard Lauren Taylor also came off the bench with 13 points. The Frogs held all-conference point guard Amy Beggin to only seven points and two assists.
TCU clamped down on New Mexico defensively throughout the game, including a stretch of six scoreless minutes to open the contest. UNM concluded the evening shooting only 33.9 percent with an uncharacteristic 18 turnovers. The squad entered the game ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game (12.3 tpg).
TCU's defensive effort helped make up for a hot-and-cold evening offensively. The Frogs also struggled to begin the game before finishing the first half on a flurry, then shot only 33.3 percent after intermission. The squad shot only 38.1 percent for the game, but an 8-of-20 effort from beyond the arc helped make up for the inconsistency.
TCU pushed out to a big lead at halftime, 36-20, thanks to an 11-2 run to end the first half. Freshman forward DeLisa Gross provided two layups to help push the Frogs during the key spurt.
Despite the large deficit at the half, the Lobos hung tough by reeling off the first 10 points of the second period, and 13 of the first 15, to cut TCU's lead to only five points at 38-33.
The Frogs were able to respond just as they have all season at home—by forcing turnovers and draining long-range shots. A 13-0 spurt served as TCU's answer to the Lobos, as LaFleur and junior forward Rachel Rentschler combined for a trio of 3-pointers. Rentschler's bomb put the Frogs on top by 18 points, 51-33.
New Mexico was able to climb back within nine points with 7:06 to play, but consecutive 3-pointers by Sverrisdottir and Mangum put TCU back up by 15, 61-46, with just over four minutes remaining.
With the MWC title now in hand, TCU next closes out the regular season Saturday on the road. The Frogs travel to Provo, Utah, for a 2 p.m. MT matchup with BYU at the Cougars' Marriott Center.
Players Mentioned
