Led by upperclassmen, TCU gained its second win of the season by defeating the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears 65-48 on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Lauren Heard led the team with 17 points, her sixth-straight double-digit scoring effort dating back to last season. Graduate transfer Aahliyah Jackson was right behind Heard with a career-high 13 points in the win. 

“I see my role as being that spark for the team whenever and wherever it is needed,” Jackson said. “I’m always going to come out and be aggressive on defense first and then try to play off that offensively but most importantly just pouring into my teammate; and whenever someone holds their head down, I’m there to pick them up.”

Central Arkansas took a five-point lead at halftime after outscoring TCU 19-6 in the second quarter. Nevertheless, the Horned Frogs came out strong in the second half.  

“It was a little ugly for a while, definitely undisciplined in the first half and that was a big message in the second half,” head coach Raegan Pebley said. 

TCU would go on to outscore the Sugar Bears 24-10 in the third quarter and 39-17 overall in the second half.

“Coming into the third quarter we knew we had to pick it up and be the aggressor and we had to come out onto and that was our main focus,” Jackson said. 

Forward Yummy Morris had another strong game with a team-high nine rebounds. Forward Michelle Berry and guard Tavy Diggs also contributed to the win with nine and seven points, respectively.  

“This is a team that’s learning each other and finding its identity,” Pebley said. “I’m really confident in what this team can do as they spend more time together on the floor.”

TCU will open its Big 12 Conference play this Wednesday, Dec. 2, against the Iowa State Cyclones. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.