TCU'S Payne Tears ACL, Lost For Season
10/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 16, 2001
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Senior Tricia Payne, who was named TCU's Most Valuable Player on last year's NCAA Tournament team, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee in Saturday morning's season-opening practice and will miss the entire 2001-02 season. An MRI on her knee on Tuesday revealed the tear. She is expected to have surgery to repair her torn ACL on October 31.
"It's disappointing for the team and terribly disappointing for Tricia," said head coach Jeff Mittie. "She has been a big part of TCU women's basketball over the last three years. We wish her the best for a full and speedy recovery."
Payne, who started 32 of 33 games last year, averaged 11.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists on the season and has averaged double figures in points in each of her three years at TCU. With 956 career points, she ranks sixth on the Lady Frogs' all-time scoring list and this season was looking to become just the fifth player in TCU history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
The 5-11 guard from Duncan, Okla., is the Frogs' all-time leader in free throw percentage and ranks among the school's all-time top 10 in eight statistical categories. Known as a big-game player, Payne was the Western Athletic Conference Tournament MVP last year as she led the Frogs to their first-ever conference title by dropping in a game-high 26 points in the championship game against Hawai'i. Payne also was named the TCU Hoops Invitational MVP for the second time in her career.
