Amazing postseason for Jordan Moore leading TCU women's special WNIT run

TCU women's basketall coach Raegen Pebley wanted to put her team's accomplishments into perspective.

The Horned Frogs (23-12), who play Indiana (21-14) in the WNIT semifinals at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., have never played this late in a season.

A win on Wednesday would put them in their first-ever postseason championship game, against the winner of the other semifinal between West Virginia and Virginia Tech.

TCU is one of 10 college teams still playing basketball, including four in the NCAA tournament and two in the College Basketball InvitationaI. The Frogs have won their past two games on the road, including at South Dakota on Sunday, and are the only semifinalists to have played a road game.

"How special it is to be playing basketball right now," Pebley said. "It kind of helps them to appreciate where they’re at right now. It’s been a really fun journey."

And having fun while winning four consecutive postseason games for the first time has been one of the Frogs' special ingredients. Their post-game locker room dance celebrations have become a ritual after wins.

"They’ve been fighting complacency all season. To still have that joy when they’re playing that’s one of the most special things outside of the wins," Pebley said.

No one is having more fun that TCU post Jordan Moore. She's made 30 of 35 shots (86 percent) from the field in the WNIT. In short, she has been too big and too fast to slow down. The junior from Round Rock credits her teammates for feeding her the ball.

"When we move the ball we get teammates open," said Moore, who also has grabbed 30 rebounds in the four WNIT games. "We’re all playing so hard."

Missing the postseason a year ago (the first time since Pebley took over in 2014) is something that "resonated through all of our workouts," Pebley said.

"The chemistry of the team, the coaching staff and how hard they work," she said. "So many elements have led us to right now."

Moore, Pebley said, is feeding her teammates with confidence.

"She just keeps getting better. She really bought in with the process of development and we’re seeing all of that this season," she said. "She’s playing with great activity off the ball at both ends of the floor. It's pretty special what Jordan is doing."

That goes for the whole team, which returns all but two players next season.

"Being in the postseason is really special. And to be able to advance again and again is even more special," Pebley said. "It’s hard to win in March, I don’t care what tournament it is."

And the Frogs hope there is more locker room dancing Wednesday night.

"We want to squeeze all the juice out of this so they can continue to have a great time," she said. "I think sometimes coaches can make their teams too focused. We’ve got to have fun. If you make it too much like a job then it becomes pressure and you don’t perform well under pressure a lot of times. You’re going to perform well when you have a focused effort, for sure, but when there is a looseness about them."

TCU vs. Indiana

6 p.m. Wednesday, Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.

TV: BTN2Go.com ($9.95 fee)

This story was originally published March 27, 2018 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Amazing postseason for Jordan Moore leading TCU women's special WNIT run."