TCU
New Mexico
Lady Frogs upend New Mexico, 67-43
1/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2006
FORT WORTH, Texas - Buoyed by three players scoring in double figures and a double-double by Adrianne Ross, the TCU Lady Frogs snapped a two-game skid with a commanding 67-43 victory over New Mexico on Wednesday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
Playing in front 3,463 fans - the largest home crowd of the season - TCU (14-6, 4-2 Mountain West Conference) led by as many as 24 points over the Lobos (12-7, 2-3 MWC) en route to securing its 16th consecutive home win and 11th home victory of the season.
"New Mexico is an excellent team and you could see how good their defense is," head coach Jeff Mittie said. "We knew we had to do the little things right because we know they are a good team."
After posting a season-low 51 points in a loss at Wyoming on Sunday, TCU showed that the old adage that a good defense beats a good offense isn't always true. Playing the league's top defense (53.5), the Lady Frogs proved why they were the top offensive team in the league with an average of 73.6 points per game, as they scored the second-most points of any team this season against the Lobos.
In addition to a stout offensive performance, the Lady Frogs held the Lobos to their fewest points and second-lowest field-goal percentage of the season at 30.9 percent (17-55). TCU also outrebounded New Mexico 48-33.
Leading the charge for TCU was Ross, who scored 16 points, grabbed a career-best 11 boards and tied a career high with eight assists on an evening where she became just the ninth TCU player to top 1,000 career points. Playing against the school she grew up cheering for in Hobbs, N.M., Ross needed just five points for 1,000 in her career, which she scored on a jumper in the paint with 7:50 to play in the first half.
Not to be lost in the shuffle was the play of Lorie Butler-Rayford, who tied the third-highest rebound total in school history with 19. Her 19 boards trumped her previous career high of 14 she had against Arizona earlier this season.
In addition to Ross and Butler-Rayford, Ashley Davis led the team with 19 points on 8-off-15 shooting and Helen Roden reached double figures for the third time in four games with 10 points.
TCU trailed by as many as nine, 13-4, in the first half before going on a 25-10 run to end the half with a six-point lead, 29-23. The Lady Frogs did not slow up in the second half, as they pieced together a 17-5 run to open the half and never looked back.
"I just felt like were a little tentative at the beginning, but as the game wore on, we got more comfortable and aggressive," Mittie said. "We were really aggressive at the right time on the right players."
New Mexico was led by Dionne Marsh, who totaled 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
TCU will return to the court on Sunday when the Lady Frogs face San Diego State at 2 p.m. at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
