TCU women’s basketball falls to Oklahoma state, remains winless in conference play

TCU women’s basketball gaurd Tara Manumaleuga goes up for a layup in a 77-65 loss to Oklahoma State on Feb. 4, 2022. (Photo courtesy of GoFrogs.com)

By Brendan Healy, Staff Writer
Published Feb 6, 2023

TCU women’s basketball (6-16, 0-11 Big 12) dropped its second straight close game at home in a hard fought 77-65 loss against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (16-7, 6-5 Big 12).

The first two quarters displayed an exciting back and forth between the Frogs and the Cowgirls, with both teams possessing a 7 point advantage over the other at the end of each quarter, resulting in a 33-33 tie going into the half.

That first half was all forward Lucy Ibeh for the Frogs, who tallied 10 points, all in the paint. A welcome surprise for TCU was the rain of 3-point makes in the first half; the Frogs shot 67% from beyond the arc, with guards Paige Bradley and Tara Manumaleuga each contributing two.

Unlike previous contests this year, the Horned Frogs stayed right in the game in the third quarter thanks to Manumaleuga’s second-half 13-point scoring spree, which kept the game tied at 54.

The wheels fell off for the Frogs in the fourth quarter, as they simply did not have the finishing power to stay with the Cowgirls. Oklahoma State outscored TCU 23-11 to pull away for a 12 point win in an otherwise tightly contested game.

In the second half the Frogs grabbed 10 rebounds to the Cowgirl’s 21, losing the battle on the boards by a large margin. Oklahoma State snagged seven offensive rebounds to TCU’s one, leading to important second chance shots for the Cowgirls. The Frogs’ rebounding performance is in part what allowed the Cowgirls to pull away.

For the second straight home game, free throw shooting woes continued to plague the Horned Frogs, as they made only seven in twelve attempts, 58.3%. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, shot 15-17, 88.2%. The missed attempts at the charity stripe left crucial points off the board for the Frogs, who were trying to stay competitive in a close matchup.

TCU’s leading scorers were Ibeh and Manumaleuga with 19 apiece. Guard Roxanne Makolo led the way with six rebounds and guard Emily Fisher dished a team high six assists.

Oklahoma State’s leading scorer was guard Naomie Alnatas with 20. The leading rebounder was split between three Cowgirls, with forward Lior Garzon, forward Taylen Collins, and guard Terryn Milton each snagging five.

With only seven conference matchups remaining, the Frogs will look to avoid their first winless season in Big 12 Conference play. TCU is currently 0-11 against Big 12 opponents for the first time under head coach Raegan Pebley. TCU is also 2-28 in its last 30 conference games and has lost 25 straight.