The final weekend of February provided for plenty of ups and downs across the board for TCU athletics. From a heartbreaker on the hardwood to an upset on the tennis courts, here’s how the Horned Frogs fared across all playing surfaces.
Men’s Tennis – TCU 4, University of Central Florida 1
The Frogs pulled off the upset over No. 48 UCF in Fort Worth on Saturday after winning three straight-set singles to close out the match. No. 19 junior Cameron Norrie gave TCU an early 2-0 lead with 6-3 and 6-1 victories over No. 93 Korey Lovett. The Frogs never looked back, cruising to a 4-1 victory over the Knights. The duo of sophomore Alex Rybakov and junior Guillermo Nunez, ranked No. 14 in the nation, extended their doubles win streak to six with a 6-4 win during the match. The victory pushed TCU back above the .500 mark, now 4-3 on the season.
Women’s Tennis – Duke 4, TCU 3
The No. 15 Horned Frogs were unable to fend off the No. 17 Duke Blue Devils in Durham, North Carolina on Saturday. The Frogs won the opening doubles match with ease to take an early 1-0 lead, and were on the brink of victory when they extended the lead to 3-1 after senior Sofiko Kadzhaya picked up her first dual-match victory of the season (7-5, 6-4) and sophomore Marie Norris recorded a three-set victory. The Blue Devils stormed back with three straight court victories, two of which went the distance, for the match win of 4-3. TCU fell to 6-2 overall on the season.
Equestrian – TCU 9, South Dakota State 6
The No. 10 Horned Frogs got back in rhythm with a 9-6 victory over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in a two-day, neutral-site meet in Las Cruces, New Mexico. TCU finished Friday’s events trailing 4-3, as the Frogs tied the Jackrabbits 2-2 in Equitation on the Flat but fell 2-1 in Reining. The Frogs bounced back on Saturday, led by an 83-point performance by senior Kari Hancock for a 3-1 edge in Equitation over Fences. An ensuing 3-1 win in Horsemanship propelled TCU past SDSU for the overall win. The Frogs improved to 5-7 on the season after securing the meet victory while the Jackrabbits fell to 2-7 overall.
Baseball – TCU vs. Arizona State, TCU wins series 2-1
The Horned Frogs’ bullpen and defense faltered in the opening contest against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Friday night in a 13-9 loss, but No. 1 TCU turned things around. The Frogs won 8-4 on Saturday before taking home the rubber match on Sunday with a score of 5-2. The starting pitchers, freshman Nick Lodolo and sophomore Jared Janczak, each improved to 2-0 with wins over the weekend while senior Brian Howard fell to 1-1 with the opening loss on Friday. Sophomore Luken Baker hit two home runs in the series, bringing his season total to a team high of three just seven games in. TCU is now off to a 6-1 start to 2017.
Men’s Basketball – TCU 60, West Virginia 61
The Horned Frogs’ losing-streak hit five after dropping a heart-breaker to the No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday, 60-61. The game was tied at 60 apiece within the final 12 seconds before freshman Jaylen Fisher was called for a controversial foul, sending West Virginia to the free throw line to take a one-point lead. Freshman Desmond Bane had a wide open look from three-point range at the buzzer, but his potential game-winning shot missed the basket entirely. The loss could have severe implications on TCU’s March Madness hopes, as the Frogs had an RPI in the low 50s entering the contest.
Women’s Basketball – TCU 64, Oklahoma 73
Senior night for TCU ended on a sour note, as the Horned Frogs lost their fifth straight contest, 73-64, to the No. 17 Oklahoma Sooners. The Frogs trailed by just one at halftime to the Sooners, but they suffered a significant setback when sophomores Amy Okonkwo and Jordan Moore fouled out in the second half. With both posts out, the Frogs couldn’t contain the Sooners inside the paint. Despite the loss, senior Jada Butts scored a team high 22 points for TCU in her final game at the Schollmaier Arena.
