Horned Frogs stun No. 7 Longhorns behind stellar three-point shooting, 79-77

By Robbie Vaglio

Published Jan 11, 2018

TCU vs Texas women’s basketball at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on January 10, 2018. (Photo by/Sharon Ellman)

All eyes of the women’s basketball world were on the Horned Frogs Wednesday night at Schollmaier Arena as TCU shocked the No. 7 Texas Longhorns to earn their first top-10 win in eight years, 79-77.

With the win, the Horned Frogs snapped a six-game losing skid against the Longhorns and a 22-game losing streak against top-10 opponents. TCU’s last win against the University of Texas came Feb. 1, 2015, head coach Raegan Pebley’s first game coached against the Longhorns.

Three-point shooting was the difference maker as the Horned Frogs shot a school-record 81.8 percent from long range on 9-11 shooting, including two daggers in the final minute to seal the victory. Their previous 80 percent record came against San Diego State Jan. 9, 2008 with an 8-10 shooting performance.

The biggest three-pointer on the night came from the hands of Kianna Ray as she nailed a clutch basket from beyond the arc in the final seconds of the contest to give the Horned Frogs a 77-75 lead over the Longhorns.

Neither team led by more than five points in the tense fourth quarter. With 56 seconds remaining on the clock and a 73-71 lead for the Longhorns, TCU senior guard Toree Thompson nailed a three-pointer to return the lead back to the home team. Just 18 seconds later, the Longhorns jumped back on top with a layup from Ariel Atkins. Ray responded with her dagger.

Atkins wasn’t finished yet as she nailed another jumper to tie the game at 77 with 17 seconds remaining. Ray drove to the basket, was fouled and nailed both free throws to seal the deal and shock the Longhorns. Her free throws capped her stellar performance which concluded with a career-high 17 points.

Junior forward Jordan Moore led the Frogs in scoring Wednesday with 19 points on 8-11 shooting and added five blocks to her totals, including two in the final two minutes.

The Horned Frogs will travel to Morgantown, W. Va to take on the No. 15 Mountaineers Saturday. West Virginia narrowly escaped the Horned Frogs Dec. 28 by a score of 87-82 and now TCU will look for revenge on the road. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.