Saturday, March 9
Oklahoma City, Okla.
8:30 p.m.
TCU
20-10
64
vs
66
Texas
23-8
1
2
3
4
F
TCU
18
10
16
20
64
Texas
13
17
14
22
66
TCU Drops Heartbreaker in Big 12 Quarterfinals
3/10/2019 12:41:00 AM | Women's Basketball
OKLAHOMA CITY – In an extremely competitive game that featured 17 lead changes and was tied with one-minute remaining, the TCU women's basketball team came up just short, falling to No. 21 Texas in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship, 66-64, at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday night.
The Horned Frogs are now 20-10 overall and will await their postseason fate, which will be determined on Monday, March 18.
TCU out-rebounded the Longhorns (23-8) for the second time in three games this season, winning Saturday's battle on the boards, 39-36. The only other team to out-rebound UT all year was Mississippi State on Dec. 2.
Senior Amy Okonkwo posted her best all-around effort and fifth double-double of the season with 21 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. She finished 9-for-17 from the floor and played a career-high 37 minutes.
Juniors Jayde Woods and Kianna Ray also scored in double-digits with 13 and 12 points, respectively. That marked a season-high for Woods and all of Ray's points came on four second-half 3-pointers.
The Rundown
With the score tied at 61-61 at the one-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Texas guard Sug Sutton scored four points in a five-second span, which proved to be the difference in a game that was a see-saw battle the entire night.
She hit a jumper then picked off the ensuing pass and dropped in a fastbreak layup to put the Longhorns up 65-61 with 54 seconds remaining.
TCU senior Jordan Moore got two of those points back with a pair of free throws and then got a steal of her own on the other end of the court. Although a 3-pointer by Woods missed the mark, Moore went up to grab the offensive rebound to keep the ball on TCU's end.
Following a timeout, the Frogs had an opportunity to tie the game at the free-throw line but missed the mark on the first shot to put the score at 65-64 at the three-second mark.
TCU was able to the ball back without any time going off the clock after Texas went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe, but a last-second layup attempt missed the mark and gave the Longhorns the narrow victory.
The Horned Frogs were the early aggressor in the contest, hitting four 3-pointers in the opening quarter to take an 18-13 advantage.
Texas rallied back in the middle of the second quarter, however, hitting four consecutive shots in a 10-2 run to regain the lead, 25-24. Okonkwo ended that run by hitting a pair of three throws at the 3:29 mark though and the Frogs went into the lockerroom down by just two, 30-28.
The Horned Frogs came roaring back in the third quarter with Woods opening the frame with her career-high tying third 3-pointer of the contest. That would serve as a precursor for things to come as Kianna Ray hit a pair of 3-balls of her own just moments later.
Those two 3-pointers were sandwiched around another Okonkwo bucket, as TCU went on an 8-1 run that put it back out in front 40-37 at the 4:57 mark.
Neither team would score for nearly three minutes before Okonkwo hit a layup at 1:59 to make it a five-point game.
Texas, however, answered with a 7-0 run to go back ahead, 44-42, but Okonkwo hit a buzzer-beater to knot things back up heading into the final 10 minutes.
The score never moved more than six points in either team's favor in the fourth quarter as the back-and-forth battle continued the remainder of the game. The two teams continuously traded baskets and fought their way to a 61-61 deadlock to set up the dramatic final minute.
Stat of the Day
39 – TCU out-rebounded Texas, 39-36, on Saturday, including 18 offensive boards. The Longhorns entered the game ranked fourth nationally with a +11.0 rebound margin and have now been out-rebounded just three times this season, including twice by the Horned Frogs as they also accomplished the feat in Austin on Jan. 19. The only other team to do so was Mississippi State on Dec. 2.
Quotes of the Day
TCU Head Coach Raegan Pebley
"Congratulations to Texas. It was definitely a battle. I felt like that was an NCAA Tournament-caliber game. It was very, very physical, extremely physical. I'm proud of TCU, I'm proud of our players, and proud of everything they have put into this team and this season. I'm proud of everything they have left in them too. This is a very driven and motivated team with a lot left in the tank. I'm very honored to coach them.
"I absolutely think we are a very good resume-built team for the NCAA Tournament committee to consider. We are a team that is so locked in and still fighting, still healthy, both physically and mentally. We have battled. You look at a game like this and this is sports. A couple of possessions go a different way. Are those few possessions going to be the difference between us being in or out? I hope not. I hope that we can look more at our body of work and what we have done."
Up Next
TCU will await its postseason fate, which will be announced on Monday, March 18.
TCU Women's Basketball Postgame Notes
March 9, 2019 – Oklahoma City, Okla. (Chesapeake Energy Center)
Attendance: 3,240
TCU (20-10) – 64
No. 21 Texas (22-9) – 66
TEAM NOTES
* TCU is now 2-7 all-time in the Big 12 Championship.
* TCU is now 3-43 all-time against Texas.
* The Horned Frogs started with a lineup of Lauren Heard, Jayde Woods, Kianna Ray, Amy Okonkwo and Jordan Heard for the sixth time this season and are now 4-2 when utilizing that starting lineup.
* TCU outrebounded Texas for the second time this season and are one of just two teams to have accomplished that feat this year (Dec. 2 vs. Mississippi State).
* TCU outscored Texas in second-chance points, 11-8, doing so on 18 offensive rebounds.
* The Frogs have made at least one 3-pointer in 241 consecutive games.
* The Horned Frogs trailed at halftime, 30-28, and are now 4-7 when trailing at the half.
* TCU was tied at the end of the third quarter for the first time this season.
* TCU lost for the second time this season after leading at the end of the first quarter. The Frogs are now 15-2 in such games with both losses coming against Texas.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Amy Okonkwo
* Recorded her fifth double-double of the season, second in the last three games and 12th of her career with 21 points and 16 rebounds.
* The 16 rebounds marked a career high, surpassing her previous best of 13 against Iowa State on Feb. 13, 2019.
* Posted her third 20-point game of the year and 13th of her career.
* Had 13 points and nine rebounds at halftime.
Kianna Ray
* Finished with 12 points, all of which came from 3-point range.
* Was 4-of-11 from beyond-the-arc, hitting 3+ 3-pointers for the 11th time this season and 13th time in her career.
Jayde Woods
* Scored a season-high 13 points, finishing just one off of her career-best.
* Tied her career-high with three 3-pointers and set a new season-high with six assists.
The Horned Frogs are now 20-10 overall and will await their postseason fate, which will be determined on Monday, March 18.
TCU out-rebounded the Longhorns (23-8) for the second time in three games this season, winning Saturday's battle on the boards, 39-36. The only other team to out-rebound UT all year was Mississippi State on Dec. 2.
Senior Amy Okonkwo posted her best all-around effort and fifth double-double of the season with 21 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. She finished 9-for-17 from the floor and played a career-high 37 minutes.
Juniors Jayde Woods and Kianna Ray also scored in double-digits with 13 and 12 points, respectively. That marked a season-high for Woods and all of Ray's points came on four second-half 3-pointers.
The Rundown
With the score tied at 61-61 at the one-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Texas guard Sug Sutton scored four points in a five-second span, which proved to be the difference in a game that was a see-saw battle the entire night.
She hit a jumper then picked off the ensuing pass and dropped in a fastbreak layup to put the Longhorns up 65-61 with 54 seconds remaining.
TCU senior Jordan Moore got two of those points back with a pair of free throws and then got a steal of her own on the other end of the court. Although a 3-pointer by Woods missed the mark, Moore went up to grab the offensive rebound to keep the ball on TCU's end.
Following a timeout, the Frogs had an opportunity to tie the game at the free-throw line but missed the mark on the first shot to put the score at 65-64 at the three-second mark.
TCU was able to the ball back without any time going off the clock after Texas went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe, but a last-second layup attempt missed the mark and gave the Longhorns the narrow victory.
The Horned Frogs were the early aggressor in the contest, hitting four 3-pointers in the opening quarter to take an 18-13 advantage.
Texas rallied back in the middle of the second quarter, however, hitting four consecutive shots in a 10-2 run to regain the lead, 25-24. Okonkwo ended that run by hitting a pair of three throws at the 3:29 mark though and the Frogs went into the lockerroom down by just two, 30-28.
The Horned Frogs came roaring back in the third quarter with Woods opening the frame with her career-high tying third 3-pointer of the contest. That would serve as a precursor for things to come as Kianna Ray hit a pair of 3-balls of her own just moments later.
Those two 3-pointers were sandwiched around another Okonkwo bucket, as TCU went on an 8-1 run that put it back out in front 40-37 at the 4:57 mark.
Neither team would score for nearly three minutes before Okonkwo hit a layup at 1:59 to make it a five-point game.
Texas, however, answered with a 7-0 run to go back ahead, 44-42, but Okonkwo hit a buzzer-beater to knot things back up heading into the final 10 minutes.
The score never moved more than six points in either team's favor in the fourth quarter as the back-and-forth battle continued the remainder of the game. The two teams continuously traded baskets and fought their way to a 61-61 deadlock to set up the dramatic final minute.
Stat of the Day
39 – TCU out-rebounded Texas, 39-36, on Saturday, including 18 offensive boards. The Longhorns entered the game ranked fourth nationally with a +11.0 rebound margin and have now been out-rebounded just three times this season, including twice by the Horned Frogs as they also accomplished the feat in Austin on Jan. 19. The only other team to do so was Mississippi State on Dec. 2.
Quotes of the Day
TCU Head Coach Raegan Pebley
"Congratulations to Texas. It was definitely a battle. I felt like that was an NCAA Tournament-caliber game. It was very, very physical, extremely physical. I'm proud of TCU, I'm proud of our players, and proud of everything they have put into this team and this season. I'm proud of everything they have left in them too. This is a very driven and motivated team with a lot left in the tank. I'm very honored to coach them.
"I absolutely think we are a very good resume-built team for the NCAA Tournament committee to consider. We are a team that is so locked in and still fighting, still healthy, both physically and mentally. We have battled. You look at a game like this and this is sports. A couple of possessions go a different way. Are those few possessions going to be the difference between us being in or out? I hope not. I hope that we can look more at our body of work and what we have done."
Up Next
TCU will await its postseason fate, which will be announced on Monday, March 18.
TCU Women's Basketball Postgame Notes
March 9, 2019 – Oklahoma City, Okla. (Chesapeake Energy Center)
Attendance: 3,240
TCU (20-10) – 64
No. 21 Texas (22-9) – 66
TEAM NOTES
* TCU is now 2-7 all-time in the Big 12 Championship.
* TCU is now 3-43 all-time against Texas.
* The Horned Frogs started with a lineup of Lauren Heard, Jayde Woods, Kianna Ray, Amy Okonkwo and Jordan Heard for the sixth time this season and are now 4-2 when utilizing that starting lineup.
* TCU outrebounded Texas for the second time this season and are one of just two teams to have accomplished that feat this year (Dec. 2 vs. Mississippi State).
* TCU outscored Texas in second-chance points, 11-8, doing so on 18 offensive rebounds.
* The Frogs have made at least one 3-pointer in 241 consecutive games.
* The Horned Frogs trailed at halftime, 30-28, and are now 4-7 when trailing at the half.
* TCU was tied at the end of the third quarter for the first time this season.
* TCU lost for the second time this season after leading at the end of the first quarter. The Frogs are now 15-2 in such games with both losses coming against Texas.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Amy Okonkwo
* Recorded her fifth double-double of the season, second in the last three games and 12th of her career with 21 points and 16 rebounds.
* The 16 rebounds marked a career high, surpassing her previous best of 13 against Iowa State on Feb. 13, 2019.
* Posted her third 20-point game of the year and 13th of her career.
* Had 13 points and nine rebounds at halftime.
Kianna Ray
* Finished with 12 points, all of which came from 3-point range.
* Was 4-of-11 from beyond-the-arc, hitting 3+ 3-pointers for the 11th time this season and 13th time in her career.
Jayde Woods
* Scored a season-high 13 points, finishing just one off of her career-best.
* Tied her career-high with three 3-pointers and set a new season-high with six assists.
Team Stats
TCU
UT
FG%
.353
.441
3FG%
.346
.250
FT%
.636
.800
RB
39
36
TO
11
11
STL
7
4
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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