Veja Hamilton’s improved shooting creating momentum for TCU women

After leading the TCU women’s basketball team in field-goal percentage last season at a 49 percent clip, Veja Hamilton has only shown flashes of her former self through her senior season.

Entering Saturday’s game against Iowa State at 1 p.m. at Schollmaier Arena, Hamilton is shooting 39 percent in Big 12 action.

While TCU’s past two games have been losses to ranked Oklahoma and Baylor, there has been some momentum gained from those games, including the fourth quarter of the Baylor game that saw the Horned Frogs outscore the Bears 37-18.

TCU coach Raegan Pebley credits that to an uptick in Hamilton’s shooting in the last two games with shots falling at a 57 percent clip.

“She’s really been working hard and getting extra shots and competing well in practice,” Pebley said. “It’s good to see that translate into some success in games.”

TCU notched its fourth win of Big 12 play against Iowa State on Jan 27, marking the only win in TCU’s past seven games.

The Horned Frogs defense will focus on Cyclones’ leading scorer Seanna Johnson, who is second in the conference in scoring average at 17.1 points a game.

Johnson didn’t factor much in the first meeting last month, beause of an injury, but she is one of the most improved players in the conference, Pebley said.

The Cyclones are third in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game at 6.61, just behind TCU’s 7.13, making rebounding and second-chance opportunities more vital, Pebley said.

“This is a team that we need to create extra possessions for ourselves and not give them extra possessions. So many of their extra possessions turn into 3-point shots,” she said.

This story was originally published February 12, 2016 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Veja Hamilton’s improved shooting creating momentum for TCU women."