The TCU women’s basketball team opened the brand new Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena and closed their non-conference schedule with a bang on Sunday, beating the Southern Utah Thunderbirds 76-47.
The Frogs began the game red-hot, making 11 of their first 19 shots to take a commanding 29-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Those 29 points are the most the team has scored in the first quarter this season.
At the end of the first half, the Frogs led 44-19, shooting an efficient 54.8 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from the three-point line. TCU senior guard Veja Hamilton started the game shooting 6-6 from the field and made 12 points in the first half alone.
“My teammates did a great job of finding me when I was open,” Hamilton said. “Their timing and our chemistry gave me confidence to shoot when I was open and that’s what worked.”
Hamilton finished the game with 18 points on 9-14 shooting.
Sophomore guard Toree Thompson also turned in an impressive performance, scoring 14 points on 5-6 shooting. Sophomore guard AJ Alix scored 13 points on 5-7 shooting.
“I was happy to see that we were able to establish such balanced scoring,” TCU head coach Raegan Pebley said.
Senior guard Zahna Medley said the team continues to grow and get better every day, which lead to Sunday’s stellar team performance.
Pebley made a starting lineup change Sunday, starting senior forward Caitlin Diaz instead of junior guard Jada Butts.
“I felt like Caitlin had been playing with a senior sense of urgency, doing a great job coming off the bench with intensity,” Pebley said. “There’s been a consistent focus in practice from her [Diaz]. She wasn’t complacent, and we can’t have complacency on this team.”
Pebley said she also believes that playing in a big arena like the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena gives the team an advantage in preparing for big road game environments.
Freshman center Jordan Moore scored the first basket, a layup, in the new arena.
The Frogs improved to 8-3 with the win. They will look to carry the momentum into their first game of Big 12 conference play. They’ll play Texas Tech on Dec. 30 in Lubbock at 6:30 p.m.
