TCU Women’s Basketball began their season with a win in a preseason exhibition tune-up game against the Lady Rams of Texas Wesleyan. A dominant post presence and a strong showing from first-year guard Lauren Heard guided the Frogs to a 78-50 victory.
The Frogs dominated the Lady Rams down in the post in the first quarter. They ended the quarter leading 21-14, with 20 of their points coming in the paint. They out rebounded the Rams 10-6 in the first ten minutes of play, as well. When they had the chance, the Horned Frogs out hustled and played formidable defense against Texas Wesleyan in transition, outscoring them 6-0.
TCU’s defense hit a spark during the break between periods, as their defensive presence became apparent in the second quarter. The Frogs forced seven turnovers and allowed six points in the second frame. The dominance inside continued; the Frogs recorded 15 rebounds in the quarter and entered the halftime break with 36 of their 41 points scored down low. They ended the half on a 20-3 run to lead 41-20 after 20 minutes.
“A strong focus we have is to improve in our productivity in the paint,” head coach Raegan Pebley said. “We are showing a lot of patience trying to get the ball inside. It’s good to see the strong focus on improvement be executed in the game.”
Heard continued her strong debut with six points in the third quarter, bringing her to 14 on the game total. The Horned Frogs had their best shooting quarter of the game, sinking 71 percent of their shots to extend their lead to 34 after three periods.
“We try to not put too many expectations on young players,” Pebley said. “We try to give [Heard] opportunities for experience and to keep growing as a basketball player. We challenge each player to get better than the day before, and she’s done a great job. She attacked the preseason, and I love that she’s growing into a leader at the point.”
Also in the third quarter, senior Sydney Coleman faced off against her sister, sophomore Texas Wesleyan guard Taylor Coleman. It was the first and last time the two sisters will meet in their collegiate careers.
The Frogs defeated the Lady Rams 78-50, with Heard leading all scorers with 16 points. The team shot 49.3 percent from the field despite going 3-15 from long range. Junior Jordan Moore, sophomore Ella Hellessey and junior Amy Okonkwo also recorded double-digit points.
The Frogs will officially open the 2017-18 campaign Saturday, Nov. 11 against Oral Roberts in Schollmaier Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
