TCU to Face Texas in Big 12 Quarterfinals
3/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DALLAS - The TCU women's basketball team opens play as the No. 3 seed at the 2015 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at 8:30 p.m., on Saturday against sixth-seeded Texas in the quarterfinals at American Airlines Center.
FOLLOW LIVE
Saturday's contest will be televised on FSN with Ron Thulin and Brenda VanLengen calling the action. Fans can also listen to the radio broadcast on KTCU 88.7 and FrogVision with Russell Scott and Ashley Robinson on the call.
For live updates, fans can follow @tcuwbasketball on Twitter.
TICKET INFORMATION
Single-Session tickets are priced at $30.50 and $24 for sessions 1-4 on March 6-8, and $38 and $30 for the final game on March 9, plus applicable service fees. All spectators beginning at age two must have a ticket to enter the arena. One session will be played on Friday night with two sessions on Saturday and one session each on Sunday and Monday.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster by calling 1-800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. They can also be purchased at the American Airlines Center box office Monday - Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. CT. The box office accepts Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express and cash as methods of payment.
TCU NOTABLES
• TCU earned the No. 3 seed for the 2015 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and faces sixth-seeded Texas in the quarterfinals, marking the second time in four days the two teams will meet. TCU posted a 64-59 win over Texas in Fort Worth earlier this season before suffering a 79-45 defeat in Austin on Tuesday.
• TCU is 1-2 all-time at the Big 12 Championship and will face Texas for the first time in the tournament. The Horned Frogs advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time last season after a 75-59 victory over Texas Tech in the opening round.
• The Horned Frogs ranked second in the Big 12 this season in 3-pointers per game (7.0), free-throw percentage (.756) and steals (10.4) while ranking third in turnover margin (+2.6).
• Junior guard Zahna Medley earned All-Big 12 First-Team honors for the second-straight season after leading the Big 12 in free-throw percentage (.869) and ranking second in 3-pointers per game (2.3) and fifth in the Big 12 in scoring (15.4 ppg) and assists (4.1 apg). Medley became the fourth Horned Frog to earn multiple first-team selections and the first to achieve the feat in the Big 12. Medley holds the highest career scoring average (15.2 ppg) in school history and has scored in double figures in 68 career contests, including 22 of 28 games this season.
• Senior forward Chelsea Prince was tabbed the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 3.2 steals per game this season. Prince ranks fourth all-time in program history with 226 career steals and the Fort Worth native is just four steals shy of setting a new TCU single-season record.
• Junior guard Veja Hamilton garnered All-Big 12 Second-Team honors after a breakout season that saw her rank second on the team with 11.1 points per game and lead TCU and rank seventh in the league in field-goal percentage (.495). Hamilton has scored in double figures in 16 games after entering the season with just 10-career double-figure scoring performances.
• Senior guard Natalie Ventress has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 after hitting 10+ points just once in the previous nine contests. Ventress enjoyed the best shooting performance of her career from beyond the arc this season, leading the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (.410). Ventress has connected on 25 of her last 52 3-point attempts (48 percent).
THE OPPONENT
Texas closed out the regular season winning five of its last six games for a 20-9 overall record and 9-9 mark in Big 12 play.
The Longhorns are one of the top defensive squads in the league, ranking in the top three in scoring defense (58.1 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (.359) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.285). Texas uses its superior size to its advantage, ranking second in rebounding (42.8 rpg) and rebound margin (+10.2) and third in offensive rebounds (14.7 rpg).
Six-foot-five sophomore center Kelsey Lang leads Texas with 10.7 points and 6.3 rebounds and ranks fourth in the league in field-goal percentage (.565) and fifth in blocks (1.3 bpg). Freshman guard Ariel Atkins is also averaging 10.7 points per game while 6-foot-7 junior center Imani McGee-Stafford has added 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.
THE SERIES
TCU and Texas will meet for the third time this season and second in four days, as the two teams have each claimed a win. Saturday marks the 37th overall meeting since 1983, as the Longhorns hold a 34-2 advantage.
The Horned Frogs earned a 64-59 victory over the Longhorns in Fort Worth on Feb. 1, led by Chelsea Prince's near triple-double (12 points, nine rebounds, seven steals), before dropping a 79-45 decision in Austin on Tuesday.
Saturday marks the first meeting between the two schools at the Big 12 Championship.
