TCU Women Lose To Wyoming
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. – TCU made a late push Wednesday but came up short, falling to Wyoming in the opening round of the 2012 Conoco Women’s Basketball Championship, 61-44.
Late in the game, the Horned Frogs pulled within 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center on a 17-4 run, but couldn’t complete the comeback as the Frogs fell to 16-14 on the year. In all, TCU outscored Wyoming in the paint, 26-20, while holding the Cowgirls to only eight made field goals in the second half.
The Frogs intensity seemed to pick up during the latter stages of the contest, especially on the defensive end as they forced Wyoming, now 12-16 on the year, into several bad shots down the stretch. In the end though, TCU, who saw its four-game winning streak come to an end, couldn’t find enough answers to derail a Cowgirl squad that had only won once in the last five meetings before Wednesday’s contest.
Briesha Wynn posted her first career double-double with a team-high 12 points, while also grabbing a game-high 10 boards. Freshman Chelsea Prince was next in line with seven points and five boards, while Antoinette Thompson and Ashley Colbert chipped in with six points apiece, respectively.
Latricia Lovings went right to work in the second half, scoring down low to pull the Frogs within 12 early on in the period. With the score 35-20, Thompson dribbled through traffic and laid it up to inch the Purple and White closer, but the Cowgirls would score the next eight and lead 43-22 with 13:31 left on the clock.
Wynn would rattle home a trey to halt the Cowgirl run a few moments later, but Wyoming would drill yet another triple to push their lead back to 23 at 48-25 halfway through the period. A nifty layup by Thompson stopped
the Cowgirl attack with a little over 11 minutes remaining in the second half and the Frogs tried to rally halfway through off some impressive defensive hustle after forcing two-straight turnovers.
With Wyoming up 52-27, Delisa Gross scored on a turn-around jumper and the Frogs appeared to show some life, forcing the Pokes to a shot clock violation on the very next trip.
The Frogs would go on a 10-2 run to make the score 54-37, but Wyoming would cash in on a couple of free throws. Whitney Williams dialed up a trey ball down the stretch to pull the Frogs within 14 with 1:57 showing on the clock.
Another bucket by Thompson brought the scoreboard to 56-44 at the 1:06 mark, but that was as close as the Frogs would come.
Colbert gave TCU an early 4-3 lead two minutes into the contest, scoring the first four points for the Frogs, which included a nice bucket down low off an assist by Prince. The Cowgirls would rally off four-straight before Wynn knocked down a jumper to cut the deficit to one at 15:22 in the first half.
The two teams would battle back and fourth a couple of possessions before Natalie Ventress scored on an up and under, 13 minutes into the opening frame to bring the score to 9-8 at the 13:16 mark. The Cowgirls would push the score to 14-10 a little later, but Lovings continued to do work down low, scoring on a turn around floater inside the lane halfway through the first half.
The Frogs would tie it at 14-14 off a tear dropper by Prince with a little over nine minutes remaining in the period and then take the lead off a jumper from Gross a couple of possessions later. The two teams would continue to battle with the Frogs clinging to an 18-17 advantage with five minutes left in the half.
Wyoming would go on a 15-0 run to make the scoreboard read 32-18 at the halftime break.
TCU will learn if it will play in the Women’s NIT this Sunday.
