The TCU women’s basketball team’s seven-game win streak came to an end Saturday when they lost in blowout fashion to the No. 8 Texas Longhorns 92-65 in Austin.
The No. 22 Horned Frogs were unable to overcome a first quarter in which they were outscored 27-4. The four points were their lowest output in a quarter this season.
The Horned Frogs shot just 1-13 from the field in the first quarter and committed seven turnovers. Texas ended the quarter on a 15-0 run.
“This is a conference where if you aren’t ready to go then it can get out of reach really quick,” TCU head coach Raegan Pebley said.
The team evened out as the game went along, posting scoring quarters of 20, 19, and 22, but the 23-point first quarter deficit would prove to be insurmountable.
Not counting the first quarter, TCU was outscored by just four points. Pebley spoke of the team’s effort despite falling behind big early.
“I loved how we responded in the second half,” she said. “We played a lot more inspired basketball, more competitive basketball.”
The Longhorns out-rebounded the Horned Frogs by 16, a margin that almost always results in a loss. TCU’s 28 rebounds were their second-lowest total this season.
The Longhorns also held the advantage on the offensive glass, pulling down 18 offensive rebounds against TCU’s 12.
The TCU defense, which had not allowed a team to score more than 70 points in their last four victories, gave up a season-high 92 points. The Longhorns shot 47.7 percent from the field and made over half of their three-point shots.
Pebley said that the pace and tempo with which the Longhorns attacked was a major part of the large deficit.
Offensively, the Horned Frogs posted one of their lowest scoring totals of the season and finished with just two players in double digits.
The team finished with a season-low seven assists while the Longhorns finished with 21.
TCU first-year student Lauren Heard led the team in scoring with a career-high 18 points. TCU forward Amy Okonkwo’s 13 points earned her another double-digit effort, her 19th in 22 games this season.
TCU sophomore guard Amber Ramirez was held scoreless for just the second time this season, the first of which also came against Texas earlier this year.
The team’s 12 turnovers was their second lowest in Big 12 play this season, but seven of those came in the first quarter in which they were outscored by 23.
The Horned Frogs will look to rebound when they take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a pivotal conference game Wednesday night. The Cowboys are a game behind TCU for third place in the Big 12 standings. It will be the the first meeting between the two this season. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.