Women’s Basketball: TCU falls to No. 24 West Virginia

TCU Women’s Basketball lost their fifth straight game this past Monday, 77-52 to the No. 24 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. The Frogs struggled to put the ball in the basket this game, shooting just 33.9 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from three as a team.

The offensive struggles extended to taking care of the basketball, the Frogs had 20 turnovers against West Virginia. Credit has to be given to the Mountaineers who had very active hands defensively, picking up 16 steals against the Frogs. TCU did a solid job defending the 3-point line as West Virginia shot just 30 percent from deep as a team.

However, defending inside the 3point line was a different story as the Mountaineers were still able to score 77 points despite their poor shooting performance. West Virginia had no issues scoring at the rim, they had 50 points in the paint compared to just 18 from TCU. It was a balanced scoring attack from West Virginia with four players in double-digit points against the Frogs. Fast break points was another category led by the Mountaineers, they got out in transition well with 19 fast break points to six fast break points from TCU.

The Frogs kept it very close in the first quarter, West Virginia had only a one-point lead after the first 10 minutes. The Mountaineers had a very strong defensive second quarter and extended their lead to 13 going into halftime. An offensive explosion out of halftime from the Mountaineers effectively put the game away dropping 28 points in the third quarter to extend the lead to 28 going into the final quarter. The Frogs battled well though in the last ten minutes out scoring the Mountaineers 20-17 in the fourth quarter.

Agnes Emma-Nnopu was a bright spot for the Frogs with a great game against West Virginia. Emma-Nnopu finished with a very efficient 18 points, five rebounds, two assists, four steals and six blocks. West Virginia only had five blocks as a team in the game compared to six from Emma-Nnopu on her own. Sydney Harris joined Emma-Nnopu in double figures with 12 points off the bench. Harris continues to be a flamethrower from three, knocking down multiple threes for the seventh straight game.

The Frogs have a great chance to get back in the win column this afternoon when they take on Cincinnati on the road at 1 p.m. The Bearcats are looking to stop a two-game losing streak of their own this afternoon and stay above .500 on the year as they currently sit at 12-12 overall. Cincinnati relies heavily on their defense as they can struggle to score at times, averaging just over 61 points per game as a team.

Jillian Hayes is the top scorer for Cincinnati, averaging over twelve points per game from her forward spot. Hayes is also impactful on the boards, averaging almost nine rebounds per game. If the Frogs can cure some of their recent offensive woes, they should have a great shot to pick up a win on the road.