The TCU women’s basketball team is back on the road to face the University of Houston after a 1-1 run at the UCF Thanksgiving Classic in Orlando, Fla. this past weekend.

Head coach Jeff Mittie said the team looked sharp defensively, but there was still room for offensive development. In order for the team to improve, Mittie said they will practice on rebounding and getting to the free throw line more often than in previous games.

In the second tournament game against Fordham University, senior guard Antoinette Thompson scored the game-winning free throw with seconds left on the clock to lead the Frogs to victory.

The Frogs are off to a rough start with a 2-4 record, but junior forward Delisa Gross wrote in an email that she plans on using the 48-47 win against Fordham as motivation to prepare for Houston. 

The Cougars are on a losing streak with a 0-6 record. This past season, the Frogs beat Houston at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, 69-57.

The Cougars lead the all-time series 29-12, but have lost four out of the past five games to the Frogs.

Mittie said although Houston has a lot of young players, it’s a great athletic team.

“[Houston] puts a lot of pressure on you,” he said. “They mix a lot of defenses up.”

Mittie said he expects a low-scoring game because both teams are evenly matched defensively.

Gross wrote that she believes the game will be a defensive one as well, but she emphasized that the team must execute offensively to be competitive.

“Houston is coming off maybe their best two or three years in school history and they’ve got a couple of their guards back from that team, so it’ll be a tough battle, as it always is in Houston,” Mittie said. 

Sophomore forward Briesha Wynn and Gross have to get into the post more and find ways to get to the basket if the Frogs want to win, he said. Mittie said the team plans on mixing different players into the post position.

He said the offense has to continue to improve, but, overall, the team needs to play better. 

The Frogs will take on the Cougars at Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston on Thursday at 7 p.m.