TCU women shake off poor start, then shake off Texas Tech
TCU didn’t dwell on its 0-for-11 start from the field Wednesday against Texas Tech. The Horned Frogs hit 15 of their next 25 shots behind point guard AJ Alix, who had 13 of her 20 points in the first two quarters of TCU’s 76-62 win at Schollmaier Arena.
Alix played distributor, too, repeatedly taking advantage of good pick-and-roll movement from center Jordan Moore on her way to a season-high nine assists. Moore finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds, her fifth double-double of the season.
“Their post players were staying on me because I was hitting my shots,” Alix said of the pick-and-roll success. “That opened up plays for [Moore] and all of our post players when they rolled. I was hitting shots, so I had to see what was next.”
The Horned Frogs (12-11, 4-8) held a modest lead for most of the first half and took a 37-32 advantage into halftime before starting the third quarter 8 of 11 from the field to expand the lead to double digits. Guards Jada Butts and Toree Thompson joined in the playmaking in the third quarter, as Butts finished with 23 points and 10 boards, and Thompson added 12 points.
“Toree’s contribution is a lot lately because she’s diversified her role for us,” TCU coach Raegan Pebley said. “We’ve counted on her to guard some of the better players in the league these last five, six games, and being a more dependable defender has breathed life into our offense as a whole.”
With the win, TCU finds itself in the middle of a three-team tie for fifth place in the Big 12 with Iowa State and West Virginia, and with six games left in the regular season.
Matthew Martinez; 817-390-7760; @MCTinez817
Texas Tech | 12 | 20 | 19 | 11 | — | 62 |
TCU | 18 | 19 | 25 | 14 | — | 76 |
Texas Tech (11-12)—Brewer 5-9 2-3 12, Terry 2-6 0-0 4, Caldwell 5-11 1-2 14, Cook-Taylor 8-22 1-3 18, Guirantes 1-9 2-3 4, Sanders 0-1 0-0 0, McKenzie 0-0 0-0 0, Bright 0-0 0-0 0, Brooks 1-5 3-3 5, Olabode 2-6 0-0 5, Totals 24-69 9-14 62.
TCU (12-11)—Moore 4-10 3-4 11, Alix 8-16 1-2 20, Butts 9-15 2-2 23, Ray 2-6 1-1 5, Thompson 5-6 0-1 12, Akomolafe 2-3 1-1 5, Coleman 0-0 0-0 0, Okonkwo 0-2 0-0 0, Willie 0-0 0-0 0, Ramirez 0-4 0-0 0, Totals 30-62 8-11 76.
3-Point Goals—Texas Tech 5-18 (Caldwell 3-7, Cook-Taylor 1-2, Guirantes 0-4, Brooks 0-3, Olabode 1-2), TCU 8-22 (Alix 3-10, Butts 3-5, Ray 0-1, Thompson 2-3, Ramirez 0-3). Assists—Texas Tech 13 (Caldwell 5), TCU 18 (Alix 9). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Texas Tech 39 (Cook-Taylor 13), TCU 44 (Moore 14). Total Fouls—Texas Tech 17, TCU 18. A—2,396.
BIG 12 WOMEN’S STANDINGS
Conference | Overall | |||
Team | Rec. | Pct. | Rec. | Pct. |
Texas | 13-0 | 1.000 | 19-4 | .826 |
Baylor | 12-1 | .923 | 23-2 | .920 |
Oklahoma | 10-3 | .769 | 19-6 | .760 |
Kansas State | 7-5 | .583 | 17-7 | .708 |
West Virginia | 4-8 | .333 | 16-8 | .667 |
Iowa State | 4-8 | .333 | 13-10 | .565 |
TCU | 4-8 | .333 | 12-11 | .522 |
Oklahoma State | 3-9 | .250 | 13-10 | .565 |
Texas Tech | 3-9 | .250 | 11-12 | .478 |
Kansas | 2-11 | .154 | 8-16 | .333 |
This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 10:02 PM with the headline "TCU women shake off poor start, then shake off Texas Tech."