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GoFrogs: Furious Rally Falls Short at West Virginia

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https://gofrogs.com/news/2019/2/16/...falls-short-at-west-virginia.aspx?path=wbball

GoFrogs: Furious Rally Falls Short at West Virginia
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A furious second-half rally came up just short as the TCU women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 79-65 decision at West Virginia on Saturday at WVU Coliseum.

Down by 24 late in the third quarter, the Horned Frogs (18-7, 8-6 Big 12) clawed their way back to within six but that was as close as they would get as the Mountaineers (18-6, 9-4) held on to claim the split in the season series.

The comeback was sparked by TCU's full-court press which forced WVU to commit a season-high 22 turnovers, including 17 in the second-half alone.

Sophomore Lauren Heard was the instigator in many of those turnovers, finishing with eight steals which stands as the third-highest single-game total in TCU history.

In the end, a dozen West Virginia 3-pointers, the most by a TCU opponent this season, were just too much to overcome.

Senior Jordan Moore led the TCU offense, scoring a team-high 17 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting. She also had eight rebounds, matching Amy Okonkwo for the most on the squad. Okonkwo and Heard both scored in double-digits as well, finishing with 15 and 12, respectively.

THE RUNDOWN
West Virginia opened the game on fire from long range, hitting five 3-pointers in the opening quarter to race out to a 22-12 advantage.

Moore had nine first-half points, but the Mountaineers kept ballooning their lead heading toward halftime. They went on to hit three more from deep in the second quarter to send the Frogs into the locker room down 44-25.

WVU kept applying the pressure after the break, going up by as many as 24 at the 3:18 mark of the third quarter.

TCU refused to give in, however, forcing six turnovers in the final three minutes of the third quarter en route to an 11-0 run that left them trailing by a much more manageable 15 points, 60-45, at the end of the frame.

The defensive onslaught continued in the fourth quarter which the Frogs opened on a 9-0 run to move within just six points at 60-54.

That is where the deficit would remain until the 2:51 mark, before West Virginia was able to seal the win with a couple of clutch 3-pointers down the stretch.

STAT OF THE GAME
22– TCU forced West Virginia to commit a season-high 22 turnovers, including 14 in the third quarter alone. The Frogs scored 29 points off of those turnovers. Lauren Heard recorded eight steals in the contest, finishing two off of the TCU single-game record.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
TCU Head Coach Raegan Pebley
"Congrats to West Virginia. I thought they came out really ready to play. That first few minutes of the game they really dictated the tempo. They are a quality team, we are a quality team. I think the Big 12 is a five-team league in the NCAA tournament. I think the atmospheres that teams have to play in in this league are phenomenal. Being the third-best RPI conference in the country, not only are there great players but there are tough places to play. This was a great test for us and we are going to be better for it."

UP NEXT
TCU will return home to host its annual Play4Kay game in partnership with the Kay Yow Cancer Fun against Kansas State at 5 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 23.

TCU Women's Basketball Postgame Notes
Feb. 16, 2019 – Morgantown, W.Va. (WVU Coliseum)
Attendance: 6,108
TCU (18-7, 8-6) – 65
West Virginia (17-6, 8-4) – 79

TEAM NOTES
* TCU started with a lineup of Adeola Akomolafe, Jayde Woods, Kianna Ray, Jordan Moore, and Lauren Heard for the eighth time this season and first time since Jan. 9 at Iowa State.
* The Frogs are now 5-3 when utilizing that starting lineup.
* TCU is now 4-5 in true road games this season.
* TCU is 3-14 all-time against West Virginia, including a 62-48 win earlier this season in Fort Worth.
* WVU's 12 3-pointers are the most by a TCU opponent this season.
* TCU scored 29 points off of 22 West Virginia turnovers.
* The 22 turnovers were the most WVU has committed in a game this season.
* TCU forced 14 turnovers in the third quarter alone and 17 in the second half.
* The Frogs wore their pink uniforms for the first time this season as WVU hosted its annual Pink Game in honor of cancer awareness.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Lauren Heard
* Scored 12 points and set a career high with eight steals.
* Also tied her career high with six assists.
* Her eight steals tie for the third-most In a single game in TCU history and are two off of the single-game record of 10 set by Adrianne Ross against UNLV on Feb. 3, 2007.
* The eight steals are the most by a TCU player in the Big 12-era, breaking the previous record of seven set by Chelsea Prince against Kansas State on Feb. 11, 2015.
* Has now recorded six assists in a game three times.
* Has now scored in double-digits six times this season and 12 times in her career.

Jordan Moore
* Led TCU with 17 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting.
* That ties for the best single-game field-goal percentage in school history.
* She previously tied the mark against Montana State on Dec. 8, 2018, when she matched Amy Okonkwo's 8-for-8 effort against Grambling State on Nov. 22, 2016.
* Scored in double-figures for the 21st time in 25 games this season and 66th time in her career.
* Tied for the team lead with eight rebounds as well and added two blocks.

Amy Okonkwo
* Scored 15 points and tied for the team lead with eight rebounds.
* Has now scored in double-figures in 11 consecutive games, 19 times this season and 65 times in her career.
* Hit three of TCU's four 3-pointers in the contest.
 
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