TCU
Louisville
TCU Fights Back to Beat Louisville 57-50
1/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2002
FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU (14-3, 4-0 C-USA) defeated last year's Conference USA regular-season champion Louisville by a 57-50 count thanks to a staunch defensive effort that offset a poor shooting performance. TCU's victory, coupled with a DePaul loss, leaves TCU atop the conference as the only undefeated team in league play.
Louisville (11-7, 3-2 C-USA) used an aggressive zone in the first half to hold TCU to just 21 first-half points, which tied as the lowest scoring half for the Frogs this season. The Lady Frogs hit just 6-of-20 shots (20.0 percent) in the stanza and trailed 29-21 at intermission.
However, the Frogs fought back to open the second half and knotted the score 45-45 with 7:34 remaining in the contest on a Niki Newton free throw. It was the first time that TCU had been even on the scoreboard since it was 11-11 with 8:27 left in the first half. Free throws proved key for the Frogs, who scored their last eight points from the charity stripe. TCU held Louisville scoreless for the final 3:15 of the contest and to just two points over the final 5:13.
For the first time all season, the Frogs had only one player in double figures, as Ebony Shaw poured in a career-high 22 points. Shaw drained 4-of-5 three-pointers and 8-of-9 free throws. Tiffany Evans added nine points and a team-best eight rebounds.
No Louisville player cracked single digits, as the Cardinals became the seventh TCU opponent held to 50 points or less. Louisville came into the contest averaging 75.2 points per outing. It was the first time all season that TCU played in a game where the team that trailed at halftime came back to win.
With the two weekend victories, TCU, who began the week ranked 31st in the coaches' poll and 39th according to AP, may crack the top 25 rankings for the first time in school history. TCU entered the game rated 22nd in the latest RPI.
The Frogs are now set for their longest road trip of the season, a four-game swing, which begins at Charlotte on Fri., January 25. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET).
