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GoFrogs: TCU's Season Ends in WNIT Semifinals at Arizona

TopFrog

Lifelong Frog
https://gofrogs.com/news/2019/4/4/w...eason-ends-in-wnit-semifinals-at-arizona.aspx

TCU's Season Ends in WNIT Semifinals at Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz. – The TCU women's basketball team fought valiantly but couldn't overcome its coldest-shooting effort of the season as it dropped a heartbreaking 59-53 decision to Arizona in front of a near-capacity crowd of 10,135 at the McKale Center in the semifinals of the WNIT on Wednesday evening.

Seniors Amy Okonkwo and Jordan Moore each posted double-doubles in the final game of their collegiate careers. It was the third consecutive double-double for Okonkwo who scored a game-high 22 points and had 11 rebounds, while Moore finished with 11 points and 10 boards.

The Horned Frogs dominated the Wildcats on the boards, 50-33, but shot a season-low 26.9 percent from the field in the loss. Sophomore Lauren Heard had 12 of those rebounds, pulling down double-digit boards for the second time in her career.

TCU ends the season with a 24-11 record, tying for the second-most wins in a season in program history.

The Rundown
The Horned Frogs got the game off to a hot start as Kianna Ray hit a 3-pointer just 10 seconds in. Combined with a strong defensive effort as TCU held Arizona off the scoreboard for the first three minutes, the Frogs were able to jump out to a quick 6-2 advantage

The WIldcats answered back with a 10-0 run over a span of more than six minutes before Dakota Vann hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Frogs down just 12-9 after the first frame.

After sitting most of the opening quarter in foul trouble, Amy Okonkwo quickly made her presence felt in the opening minute of the second stanza, scoring twice in less than 20 seconds to put TCU back in front, 13-12.

That lead would be short lived, however, as the Wildcats rallied back to score the next 12 points on four consecutive 3-pointers, forcing TCU head coach Raegan Pebley to call a timeout down 24-13 with 5:35 left in the half.

Arizona would go on to drain one more from beyond-the-arc before a Lauren Heard free throw ended what amounted to a 15-0 spree over a span of 6:17.

The Frogs were undeterred though and kept fighting back. They would go on to score nine of the final 11 points of the half, including a buzzer-beating layup by Jordan Moore to head into the locker room down by just six, 29-23.

After the break Arizona continued to fire from deep, hitting two more in the first few minutes, but TCU was able to keep within striking distance. The two teams traded baskets for most of the quarter and Jayde Woods hit a huge 3-pointer with just six seconds remaining to keep the TCU deficit just seven points going into the final frame.

With the near-capacity crowd willing them on, the Wildcats had other ideas, however, scoring the first four points of the fourth quarter to go up 11. Refusing to go quietly, the Horned Frogs would battle back and cut it to a one-possession game after a huge steal and fastbreak layup by Ray that put the tally on the scoreboard at 46-43.

On the ensuing play, Moore was able to pull down a defensive rebound as the Frogs looked to move even closer, but Arizona's Aari McDonald made what may have been the play of the game, stripping the ball away under the basket and dropping in a layup to push her team's lead back to five.

TCU wasn't able to get any closer the rest of the game as the Wildcats sealed the win at the free-throw line to advance to the WNIT Championship on Saturday against Northwestern.

Stat of the Day
3,114 -- TCU's three seniors -- Jordan Moore, Amy Okonkwo and Dakota Vann -- finished their careers with 3,114 combined points.

Moore finishes her career as TCU's all-time leader in field goal percentage, shooting 54.7 percent in her four years in Fort Worth, as well as the single-season leader after shooting 59.0 percent in her senior campaign. She also finishes seventh in the TCU record book with 1,514 points, second with 892 rebounds and third with 243 blocks. Moore played 133 games in a TCU uniform, the second-most in history, including 110 starts which ranks in a tie for sixth.

Okonkwo ends her TCU career with the sixth-highest scoring average in school history with 13.11 points per game. She also ranks ninth with 606 career rebounds and 10th all-time in both career points (1,324), field-goal percentage (.479). She also finishes as the second-most accurate free-throw shooter in program history, making 85.0 percent from the charity stripe.

In just two seasons at TCU, Vann scored 276 points and pulled down 106 rebounds in 68 games.

Quotes of the Day
TCU Head Coach Raegan Pebley
"I am so proud of this entire team. This is a team that continued to fight all year. They showed great growth in Big 12 play. Our additional wins didn't come from non-conference, it came from Big 12 play which is great growth for our program. You hear a lot about teams that go through adversity but this team really went through a lot. I am just really proud of how they were able to support each other through it all."

"Our seniors have meant so much. It is immeasurable and I think we will continue to see the impact they have had on our program in the years to come. I can define different things about each of them, but a common theme is that they have all done a great job showing grit and perseverance and helping us grow a culture of unconditional commitment."

Continued below ...
 

TopFrog

Lifelong Frog
TCU Women's Basketball Postgame Notes
April 3, 2019 – Tucson, Ariz. (McKale Center)
Attendance: 10,135
TCU (24-11) -- 59
Arizona (23-13) -- 53

TEAM NOTES
* Today's game marked the first time TCU has ever played in the month of April.
* TCU's season comes to a close in the WNIT semifinals for the second consecutive season.
* The Horned Frogs finish the season with a 24-11 record, marking the fourth time in program history that the Frogs have reached the 24-win mark.
* After winning 23 games a year ago, the Frogs now amassed 47 wins over the last two seasons, the third for in a two-season stretch in program history. TCU totaled 49 wins between the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons and 48 wins between the 2003-04 and 2004-05.
* TCU is now 13-7 all-time in the WNIT, including a 4-6 record on the road.
* TCU is now 1-2 all-time against Arizona.
* The Horned Frogs started with a lineup of Lauren Heard, Kianna Ray, Amy Okonkwo, Jayde Woods, and Jordan Moore for the 11th time this season and the sixth consecutive game and finish the year 8-3 with this starting lineup.
* The Horned Frogs made two threes, giving them a made a 3-pointer for the 245th consecutive game. Additionally, they became the 11th team in school history to make at least 200 threes in a season with 201 total threes made this season.
* TCU as a team boosted its season points total to 2,352, the fourth-highest point total in a season in program history.
* The Horned Frogs dished out 11 assists on 18 made shots, giving them the third-highest assist total in a season in school history with 536 total assists this year.
* TCU dominated Arizona on the boards, 50-33, to end end the season with a 17-4 record when out-rebounding its opponent.
* The Frogs' 26.9 percent field-goal percentage was its lowest of the season.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Lauren Heard
* Tallied the second double-digit rebound effort of her career with 12 boards.
* Had eight rebounds in the first half alone.

Jordan Moore
* Scored 11 points, giving her the fourth-highest point total in a season in TCU history with 554 points this year.
* Recorded her 13th double-double of the season and the 22nd of her career with her 11 points and 10 rebounds.
* With her 22nd double-double she tied Janice Dziuk for the second-most in school history.
* Her 11 rebounds brought her season total to 293, the fifth-most a Horned Frog has ever recorded in a single season.
* The four field goals made by Moore now give her the second-most made field goals in a single season, with 214.
* Added two blocks, her 21st game this season with multiple blocks.
* Finishes her senior season with a .590 field-goal percentage, shattering the TCU single-season record of .570 which was set by Kathleen Olson in 1985-86,
* Also finishes with the TCU career field-goal percentage record a 54.7 percent and ends her career ranked second in career rebounds (892), second in career games played (133), third in career blocks (243), tied for sixth in career starts (110) and seventh on the all-time scoring chart (1,514).

Amy Okonkwo
* Scored a game-high 22 points and had 11 rebounds as she posted her third-consecutive double-double, eighth of the season and 15th of her career.
* She led the team in scoring for the fourth consecutive game, 10th time this season, and 30th time of her career.
* Scored at least 20 points for the third consecutive games, the first time a Horned Frog has accomplished that feat since Jordan Moore scored 20+ points in three consecutive games (Kansas State on Feb. 23 through Oklahoma on March 2).
* Ends her TCU career with the sixth-highest scoring average in school history with 13.11 points per game.
* Also also ranks ninth with 606 career rebounds and 10th all-time in both career points (1,324), field-goal percentage (.479).
* Okonkwo also finishes as the second-most accurate free-throw shooter in program history, making 85.0 percent from the charity stripe.

Kianna Ray
* Scored 10 points, reaching double-figures for the 17th time this season and 30th time in her career.
* Dished out a team-high four assists, marking the 21st time this season and the 41st time of her career that she has led the team in that category.
 
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