TCU
Memphis
TCU Escapes Memphis' Jungle 65-59
2/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2002
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Conference USA-leading TCU (19-5, 9-2 C-USA) outlasted Memphis (11-13, 5-6 C-USA) by a 65-59 final in a hard-fought contest on Friday night at "The Jungle," where the Lady Tigers own an 84-20 record over the last eight years. The road victory allowed the Frogs to maintain their one-half game lead over second-place Cincinnati with three games remaining in C-USA play.
TCU, who has struggled out of the gates in each of the last four contests, once again was forced to overcome an early deficit as the Tigers grabbed a 10-3 lead in the first five minutes of the game. Memphis pushed the lead to 11 with 4:49 to go at 28-17, but the Frogs held the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of the half and went into intermission down just 28-27.
TCU committed a season-high 19 first-half turnovers, but shot nearly 50 percent (11-for-23) from the field. The Lady Frogs, who entered the game averaging 17 three-point attempts per game, tried just one first-half three.
The Frogs' run became a 15-0 surge when TCU scored the first five points of the second half to take a 32-28 lead. It was a 7:29 scoreless drought for the Tigers. The rest of the game continued to be a slugfest, but TCU drained 9-of-12 free throws in the final 3:00 to seal the game. The Tigers got as close as two at 59-57 with 1:32 left, but were unable to catch the Frogs.
Tiffany Evans had her second lifetime double-double, as she scored a career-high 16 points and led the team with 12 rebounds. She was joined by three other TCU players in double figures: Kati Safaritova (12), Grace Gantt (11) and Ashanti Nix (11).
TCU punished Memphis on the glass, outrebounding the Tigers by a 47-21 margin. The Frogs committed a season-high 36 turnovers and the Tigers picked up 19 steals. TCU shot 55.8 percent from the floor for the game (24-for-43).
TCU plays its final road game of the season on Sun., Feb. 17 at 2:00 p.m. when the Frogs take on the Saint Louis Billikens. TCU wraps up the regular season with a pair of home games next weekend, as the DePaul Blue Demons and Marquette Golden Eagles come calling to Fort Worth.
