TCU
Oklahoma State
Lady Frogs Fall to Cowgirls in Stillwater, 85-80
12/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2008
STILLWATER, Okla.--Four players scored in double figures and No. 19 TCU fought back from a double-digit deficit in the second half, but the squad was unable to hold back No. 24 Oklahoma State during an 85-80 loss Sunday at OSU's Gallagher-Iba Arena.
TCU fell to 8-3 on the season, while the Cowgirls improved to 4-2. The loss ended the Frogs' two-game winning streak against ranked teams.
TCU trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, and 11 in the second, but fought back to take a two-point lead, 63-61, with just under 10 minutes remaining. The Frogs reeled off a 15-2 run to take its first advantage since early in the first half. Sophomore Rachel Rentschler and junior Shayla Moore drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to start the run, and Rentschler later finished it off with her second trey of the afternoon.
Despite OSU responding with a 9-0 run to push back out to a seven-point lead with 4:55 left, TCU kept itself in the game. The squad cut the deficit to only one point with two minutes remaining on a pair of free throws by sophomore Helena Sverrisdottir. Moore hit a key 3 during TCU's spurt, while Rentschler had two more buckets to help negate a trey by Cowgirl guard Kristin Hernandez.
The Frogs had four chances to regain the lead down the stretch, due in part to two key offensive rebounds, but came away empty after a turnover and three missed shots. OSU hit each of its five free throw attempts in the final minute to seal its victory despite being held without a field goal for the final 2:20.
Rentschler totaled 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to lead TCU in scoring for the second straight game, while Sverrisdottir added 16 points, six rebounds and a team-high six assists. Junior TK LaFleur notched her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 boards, all on the defensive end.
Moore tied a career high with 12 points, with 10 coming in the second half. Moore has scored in double-figures in each of the last three contests.
Hernandez and fellow guard Andrea Riley each scored 19 points to lead the Cowgirls, with Riley dishing out a game-high 10 assists. Guard Taylor Hardeman and forwards Tegan Cunningham and Shaunte' Smith each added 12 points.
TCU led in the early going by five points, 15-10, before OSU burst in front with the help of a 24-7 run. The Cowgirls had six 3-point plays among seven buckets during the stretch, including two each from Hernandez and Hardeman. In all, Oklahoma State hit six first-half treys on its way to going 11-of-33 for the game.
The Frogs' deficit in the first period grew to as large as 13 points before the squad finished the half on a 14-5 run, thanks in part to a 10-of-11 showing at the charity stripe down the stretch.
TCU finishes its seven-game road stretch next Sunday, Dec. 21, when it travels to College Station, Texas, to take on No. 4 Texas A&M. The game, scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m., will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
