No. 24 Kansas State visits TCU women Saturday

In the midst of a 4-10 run through the Big 12, a young TCU women’s basketball team is growing up.

Point guard AJ Alix has scored 20 or more points in four straight games, something that hasn’t been done at TCU since the 2004-05 season. Fellow junior Toree Thompson has stepped up in conference play. Freshman Amber Ramirez is making more than two 3-pointers per game, and 6-foot-1 fellow freshman Kianna Ray also is a starter, adding some much needed length to the backcourt on a team that has struggled against bigger, more experienced ones.

When No. 24 Kansas State (18-8, 8-6 Big 12) visits Schollmaier Arena Saturday, it will be another in a long line of tests, where a win would be an upset. Yet the Horned Frogs (12-13, 4-10) still expect to be successful.

On its most recent dates with the top two in the Big 12, TCU lost to No. 8 Texas at home by seven points and played with No. 4 Baylor for three quarters before the game got out of reach in the fourth quarter. Neither was the result on paper coach Raegan Pebley or her team was looking for, but moments within each game represent progress markers for a team looking to get over the first of a few humps.

Kansas State is as large a hill to climb as any within the Big 12, as the Wildcats are holding opposing offenses to 61 points per game. Tipoff is Saturday at 4 p.m.

This story was originally published February 17, 2017 at 3:48 PM with the headline "No. 24 Kansas State visits TCU women Saturday."