TCU
Fresno State
Lady Frogs Unable to Hold off Bulldogs
12/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2008
FRESNO, Calif.--No. 22 TCU led Fresno State by as many as 18 points Thursday, but was unable to hold off the Bulldogs in the game's final six minutes during a 75-71 setback at Fresno's Save Mart Center.
The loss dropped the Lady Frogs to 6-2 on the season.
TCU led by as many as 17 points in the second half and by 16 at 69-53 with 5:57 remaining before Fresno State started to surge. Jaleesa Ross capped a 17-0 run on a 3-pointer with 1:23 remaining to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game. The trey was one of 13 recorded by Fresno during the contest and three during the run. TCU's scoreless drought during Fresno's comeback stretched more than five minutes.
Sophomore Helena Sverrisdottir answered with a jumper in the paint to put the Frogs back on top at the one-minute mark, 71-70, but Munro came right back with a Bulldog basket while fouled with only 21 seconds remaining. Munro nailed the ensuing foul shot, and TCU saw its final hope roll off the rim on another inside look by Sverrisdottir with 10 seconds left.
Sverrisdottir led TCU with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Junior Chantelle John scored a career-high 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while sophomore Micah Garoutte totaled 12 points while going 5-of-7 from her forward spot.
TCU ran out to a large first-half lead on the strength of some outstanding shooting. The squad hit at a 65.5 percent rate in the opening period and made 6-of-8 shots from 3-point range. Garoutte, John, Sverrisdottir and Rentschler did most of the damage, combining to go 16-of-18 from the field. Garoutte and Sverrisdottir each went 4-for-4 in the half.
The Frogs recorded their largest lead of 18 points, 42-24, with 3:25 remaining in the half thanks to back-to-back Rentschler treys. The two bombs followed up a Sverrisdottir 3-pointer that ended a 7-0 Bulldog run that had cut TCU's advantage to nine points.
Three-point shooting was one of the stories of the game. While TCU shot at a very good rate by making 7-of-12 attempts, Fresno State attempted 41 treys, the most ever against the Lady Frogs, making 13. Munro, who scored a game-high 23 points, recorded five treys.
Also key for the Bulldogs was its work on the boards, where it outrebounded TCU by a 44-34 margin. Among Fresno's total were 20 offensive boards, including eight by guard Marnique Arnold, who had 14 total boards to go along with 10 points. The rebounding advantage led to 26 second-chance points for the Bulldogs.
TCU continues its West Coast road trip Saturday, when it plays its first game of the Collier's International Classic in Berkeley, Calif., against Saint Louis at 4 p.m. PT.
Players Mentioned
