Women's Basketball News and Notes
11/15/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2001
ABOUT THE GAME
The TCU Lady Frogs open up the 2001-02 season on Friday night with a nonconference matchup with Sam Houston State. The Frogs have won five straight home openers and three consecutive regular season openers.
Sam Houston State has added seven new faces, three freshmen and four transfers, to a team that posted a 6-21 record and finished ninth in the Southland Conference in 2000-01.
The Bearkats lost to Abilene Christian 78-77 in the squad's lone exhibition game of the season on Nov. 3. Guard Stacy Allen, a 5-6 junior guard who was named to the preseason all-conference first team, scored 26 points for Sam Houston. Junior transfer Kelly Brown, a 5-10 guard, also had a big game, netting 24 points.
The Lady Frogs picked up an 86-55 win last year in Huntsville to improve to 3-4 all-time against the Bearkats. TCU has won three straight meetings.
TCU TIDBITS
Payne-ful Beginning
* TCU senior guard Tricia Payne suffered a torn ACL in her left knee less than 30 minutes into the first practice of the year. She underwent successful surgery on October 31 and will miss the entire 2001-02 season. Payne was last year's team MVP and ranks sixth on the school's all-time scoring list.
Pair of P's to Redshirt
* Freshman Lindsey Prewitt, who at 6-8 is the tallest player to ever play for the Lady Frogs, will redshirt the 2001-02 season. She joins forward Amy Pack, who must sit out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. Pack, who played two seasons at UTEP, was the leading scorer in the WAC in 2000-01.
Lieberman Lauds Frogs
* Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman was the keynote speaker at the Lady Frogs annual tipoff banquet on Nov. 6. She also featured TCU in an ESPN.com article entitled TCU is Team to Watch on Nov. 12. "In 2000-01, TCU enjoyed its most successful year in school history," she wrote. "This season, they should do even better. Last season, TCU received votes for the top 25 for the first time ever, but never was able to crack the top 30 during a 25-8 campaign. That could change this season."
Poll Vaulting
* TCU's preseason rankings include:
Associated Press - 35th (35 votes)
ESPN/USA Today Coaches - 35th (50 votes)
Women's Basketball Magazine - 15th
Street & Smith's College Basketball - 17th
The Swat Team
* TCU established a single-season record for blocked shots last year with 136, eclipsing the old record by 42. Tiffany Evans set a new individual standard with 41 swats.
Given the Green Light
* TCU hit a whopping 249 three-pointers during the 2000-01 season, which ranked fifth in the nation. TCU smashed the school's previous all-time record of 199 set one year earlier. In this season's exhibition win on Nov. 3, the Frogs connected on 13-of-19 attempts from behind the arc.
The Seventies
* TCU was 18-2 when scoring at least 70 points last season and 7-6 when scoring fewer than 70 points. In Coach Mittie's previous two seasons as head coach, the Frogs are 31-5 (.861) when reaching the 70-point plateau. On the flip side, TCU was 1-7 (.125) in 2000-01 when allowing at least 70 points and 3-16 (.158) in two seasons under Mittie.
Taking the Show on the Road
* After Friday's game, the Lady Frogs will play three consecutive road games. The tough stretch includes Air Force on Nov. 18, Oregon on Nov. 24 and Oklahoma on Nov. 27. Following that trip, TCU returns home for a nine-game homestand that begins with Prairie View A&M on Nov. 30 and runs until the Santa Clara game on Jan. 3.
Time to Show It
* TCU's recruiting class was consistently ranked among the top 10 in the nation, and as high as fourth in the country.
The First Lady
* TCU freshman Sandora Irvin is the first-ever High School All-American to play for the Lady Frogs. She was a first-team USA Today and second-team Parade Magazine selection as a prep at Fort Lauderdale H.S. She teammed with point guard Maranda Hankerson to win the Florida 4A state championship in 2001.
