TCU trailed entering the halftime locker room but exploded in the second half of Friday afternoon’s game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, 88-67.
Head coach Raegan Pebley knew heading into the game that Alabama would prove to be a tough competition.
“Kristy Curry’s teams are always so athletic and good, and they challenged us a lot today with some of things they did defensively,” Pebley said.
The Horned Frogs were plagued by turnovers in the first half, recording 13 in 20 minutes. However, TCU turned it loose in the third quarter as they scored 33 points and held Alabama to single-digits with nine, earning a 22-point advantage after 30 minutes of play. The Horned Frogs committed only three turnovers in the second half, all three coming in the fourth quarter.
“Our first half wasn’t good, and they deserve a lot of credit for that,” Pebley said. “I really loved our second half and how we settled down while playing tougher. Taking care of the ball in that second half was huge. Our protecting the paint defensively and doing a better job offensively of owning the paint was really good.”
TCU junior forward Jordan Moore continued her early-season tear as she led the Frogs in scoring with 19 points on 9-11 shooting. Moore also added eight rebounds to her totals. Horned Frog sophomore Kianna Ray added a career-high 16 points and junior Dakota Vann recorded her best scoring outing of the season, knocking down 14 points on 4-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
Vann’s hot shooting sparked a 19-3 run to begin the third quarter, and TCU never looked back. With the Crimson Tide on the ropes, the Horned Frogs closed the period on a 9-0 run to ensure the victory.
The third quarter saw strong play on both ends of the court by the Horned Frogs. TCU converted on 12-20 shooting, forced six Alabama turnovers while committing none of their own and only allowed three successful field goals on 15 attempts.
Up next, TCU will face their second straight SEC opponent as they travel to College Station Wednesday to face the Aggies of Texas A&M. The Maggie Dixon Classic game will tip-off at 11:00 a.m.
