TCU women can’t solve No. 16 Oklahoma on Senior Night
TCU did enough on the defensive end Saturday on Senior Night against No. 16 Oklahoma.
The Horned Frogs (12-16, 4-13 Big 12) forced 23 OU turnovers, but couldn’t turn them into enough points to earn the upset TCU has been hunting all season, and the Sooners escaped Fort Worth with a 73-64 win at Schollmaier Arena.
TCU shot 31 percent (21 of 67) from the field and 22 percent from 3-point range (5 of 23) in the loss. The Frogs haven’t had as bad a shooting night at home all year, and not at all since shooting 30 percent at then No. 22 Kansas State on Jan. 18.
“A lot of those possessions in the second half ended without a shot or a free throw,” TCU coach Raegan Pebley told KTCU radio after the game. “That really limited our opportunity and, with all the fouls called in the game, it didn’t give us a chance to gain the momentum.”
Senior guard Jada Butts led all scorers in the loss on Senior Night, scoring 17 of her 22 points in the second half of the final home game of her college career. Through her time at TCU, Butts was an All-Academic Big 12 selection three times. Reserve center Carol Willie was the other senior honored after Saturday’s game.
The Sooners (22-7, 13-4) pulled away from TCU after taking a 32-31 lead into halftime following a first half that saw six lead changes.
Point guard AJ Alix scored 12 of her 17 points in the first half, and converted a 3-point play midway through the fourth quarter to pull the Frogs within four, down 61-57. But the Sooners put enough room between themselves and a chasing TCU down the stretch.
Matthew Martinez; 817-390-7760; @MCTinez817
Oklahoma | 19 | 13 | 24 | 17 | — | 73 |
TCU | 18 | 13 | 15 | 18 | — | 64 |
Oklahoma (22-7)—Mulkey 3-8 0-2 6, Carter 2-4 3-4 8, Little 1-6 1-1 3, Manning 6-10 0-2 15, Ortiz 3-9 5-5 13, Odimgbe 1-1 0-0 2, Pierre-Louis 6-9 6-9 18, Treece 0-2 0-0 0, Dungee 1-7 3-4 5, Edwards 1-1 0-0 2, Williams 0-0 1-2 1, Totals 24-57 19-29 73.
TCU (12-16)—Willie 0-0 0-0 0, Alix 6-20 3-3 17, Butts 7-12 7-10 22, Ray 1-8 0-0 2, Thompson 3-12 0-0 8, Akomolafe 0-0 0-2 0, Okonkwo 1-5 4-4 6, Moore 3-4 3-4 9, Ramirez 0-6 0-0 0, Totals 21-67 17-23 64.
3-Point Goals—Oklahoma 6-11 (Carter 1-1, Little 0-1, Manning 3-3, Ortiz 2-5, Dungee 0-1), TCU 5-23 (Alix 2-8, Butts 1-2, Ray 0-1, Thompson 2-7, Okonkwo 0-1, Ramirez 0-4). Assists—Oklahoma 14 (Ortiz 8), TCU 7 (Alix 2). Fouled Out—TCU, Okonkwo, Moore. Rebounds—Oklahoma 50 (Carter 7), TCU 39 (Alix 8). Total Fouls—Oklahoma 18, TCU 25. A—2,377.
This story was originally published February 25, 2017 at 10:16 PM with the headline "TCU women can’t solve No. 16 Oklahoma on Senior Night."