TCU women do work inside for much-needed win over Kansas
TCU turned a shaky first half into the win the Horned Frogs needed to stay out of the bottom of the Big 12 standings Sunday against Kansas.
And when the shots weren’t falling in the 84-66 win at Schollmaier Arena, cashing in from the free throw line was the constant. TCU lived in the lane against Kansas (6-13, 0-8 Big 12) outscoring the Jayhawks 38-24 inside, and went to the free throw line 36 times.
Cashing in on a season-high 29 of those (81 percent) attempts helped the Horned Frogs’ cause on an evening when the team shot 25 of 62 from the field (40 percent).
Free throws aren’t something you can always control as a coach, but we really locked in on controlling the tempo of the game.
TCU coach Raegan Pebley
TCU’s 29-17 advantage over Kansas at the free throw line may not have always produced poetry in motion on the floor, but for the Frogs (10-9, 2-6), a Big 12 win is a Big 12 win, and this one came at just the right moment.
“If we could dictate pace, a result of that was going to be high-percentage shots, and possibly getting to the free-throw line, too,” said TCU coach Raegan Pebley. “Free throws aren’t something you can always control as a coach, but we really locked in on controlling the tempo of the game.”
Point guard AJ Alix continued her solid play of late with 22 points to lead TCU’s offense with an efficient 8-of-12 night shooting. Jordan Moore had 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots, while Jada Butts added 13 points and five boards.
The effort in the lane translated to a 52-35 rebounding margin against Kansas, the highest positive rebounding margin the Frogs have achieved in Big 12 play. TCU came into Sunday’s game with a minus-4 average rebounding margin on the season.
Matthew Martinez; 817-390-7760; @MCTinez817
Kansas | 11 | 23 | 15 | 19 | — | 68 |
TCU | 14 | 23 | 25 | 21 | — | 83 |
Kansas (6-13)—Washington 5-17 7-10 19, Kopatich 3-7 2-4 10, Calvert 4-16 0-2 10, O’Neal 3-5 0-0 9, Robertson 2-4 4-4 8, Manning-Allen 2-6 1-2 5, Brown 1-2 2-2 4, Cheadle 1-4 1-4 3, Christopher 0-0 0-2 0, Umeri 0-0 0-0 0, Lott 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 21-61 17-30 68.
TCU (10-9)—Alix 8-12 4-4 22, Butts 2-5 9-10 13, Moore 5-18 3-6 13, Okonkwo 3-4 5-6 11, Thompson 3-9 2-4 9, Ramirez 2-6 2-2 7, Ray 2-5 2-2 6, Akomolafe 0-1 2-2 2, Christian 0-0 0-0 0, Coleman 0-0 0-0 0, Willie 0-2 0-0 0, Totals 25-62 29-36 83.
3-Point Goals—Kansas 9-25 (O’Neal 3-5, Kopatich 2-5, Washington 2-6, Calvert 2-7, Cheadle 0-2), TCU 4-13 (Alix 2-4, Ramirez 1-2, Thompson 1-2, Butts 0-3, Ray 0-1, Moore 0-1). Assists—Kansas 14 (Washington 5), TCU 13 (Alix 4). Fouled Out—Kansas Umeri, Rebounds—Kansas 35 (Kopatich 8), TCU 52 (Moore 16). Total Fouls—Kansas 27, TCU 24. A—1,998.
This story was originally published January 22, 2017 at 8:56 PM with the headline "TCU women do work inside for much-needed win over Kansas."