TCU
Kansas State
WBB Moves to 2-0 in Big 12
1/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery 
FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU improved to 2-0 in Big 12 Conference play for the first time as a member of the league thanks to a 87-73 win over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon at the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.
TCU (10-3, 2-0) set a new school record for points in a Big 12 Conference game with 87 and gradually pulled away from the Wildcats thanks to an 11-of-22 shooting effort from behind the three-point arc. Senior All-American candidate Zahna Medley led the way with 27 points, hitting five three-point field goals, dishing out four assists, three rebounds and three steals.
With Big 12 Conference play starting, Medley is also starting to make a major dent in the Big 12 Conference record books. Her efforts on Saturday moved her into the top 10 in career three-point field goals made and into the top 35 in career scoring in Big 12 Conference history.
After falling behind 5-0 in the opening minutes after hitting 0-of-4 from the field to open, the Frogs hit their next four field goals and used a 6-0 spurt to jump ahead 12-8 thanks to a Medley three. The Frogs eventually built an 8-point lead in the first quarter at 20-12 as senior Veja Hamilton scored 10 of TCU's first 10 points. The lead grew to as many as 13 before the halftime break until Kansas State knocked down a pair of three-point field goals in the final 1:03 of the first half to trim the lead to 37-30.
The Frogs scored the first five out of the break to extend the lead to 12. Neither team scored more than five straight points the remainder of the third quarter until TCU's AJ Alix and Toree Thompson knocked down three's in the final 40 seconds of the period to extend the lead to 13 at 64-51. Jada Butts added a free throw and Alix hit another three to open the third quarter to extend the lead to 17 at 68-51 following a 10-0 run.
Kansas State (10-3, 0-2) answered with an 11-1 run of their own to trim the lead to eight at 70-62 before Medley knocked down another three. The Wildcats got within seven at 73-66 and four at 75-71 before the Frogs closed on a 10-2 run, including six free throws from Medley in the final 1:09.
Hamilton finished with 18 points while Alix had 14 points and 10 assists to join Medley's efforts. The Frogs shot 50.9 percent from the field for the game and held a 37-25 advantage on the boards, winning the battle on the boards for the second time in two league games.
With their 2-0 start in league play, TCU is one of just four unbeaten teams remaining in the Big 12 Conference with Texas and Oklahoma yet to conclude their opening weekends of play. The Frogs have losses to No. 12/12 Texas A&M and No. 3/3 Notre Dame. TCU's loss at Butler came with three players out of the lineup due to injury, meaning the Frogs were without 19.2 points per game average in that contest.
QUOTES OF THE GAME
"It is great to be in Schollmaier Arena and start Big 12 Conference play at home with a win," said head coach Raegan Pebley. "I thought we did a great job executing the defensive game plan. There is never a perfect game, so there are possession coaches are thinking about that we made mistakes... I felt that we handled adversity well down the stretch."
"Their leading scorers got their shots," said Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie. "Veja Hamilton got her mid-range shot, she is very good at it. Zahna Medley got a little bit of everything, which she is very good at. AJ Alix was a player. We have to do better against other team's top players."
NOTES
• TCU's 87 points were its most scored in a Big 12 Conference game in program history, surpassing the 86 scored against Iowa State on Jan. 7, 2015.
• TCU held a 37-25 advantage on the boards, winning the battle of the boards by 12.
• It is the first time in TCU history that the Frogs have started Big 12 Conference play with a perfect 2-0 record.
• TCU owns its first 10-3 start since the 2009-10 season when the Frogs opened 12-3.
• Pebley's squad is off to a 10-3 start, the best of her collegiate coaching career.
UP NEXT
The Frogs return to the court on Wednesday night in the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena as TCU welcomes Oklahoma to Fort Worth. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest Plus with Chuck LaMendola (play-by-play) and TCU great Janice Dziuk (analyst) on the call. The game is also available on on the radio via KTCU 88.7 FM in the DFW Metroplex and through GoFrogs.com with Jeff Williams (play-by-play) on the call.
The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free 3-point foam finger. Tickets are available through the TCU Ticket Office in the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena, by calling 877-828-3764 or by visiting GoFrogs.com.
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