The Big 12’s leading 3-point shooter, Madison Conner, led the Frogs to a 82-50 victory over Tulsa with a career-high of 41 points, making 10 3-pointers, 12 field goals and seven free throws.
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· Most points in a game in regulation by a TCU player
· Second 40-point game in program history
· Most points by a Big 12 player in two seasons
· Third-highest scoring output in a game by any D1 player this year#GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/k7S6UbPGMf— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) December 3, 2023
Head coach Mark Campbell said Conner was like a volcano.
Once she gets in a groove, she is a hard force to stop.
“She is ready to erupt at any point and has just a unique gift with her shooting ability,” said Campbell. “She is consistent, in the gym everyday and the last one to leave. We knew there would be a time when this would come. She just needed the looks and she got those tonight.”
But none of the fluidity in tonight’s performance would have been possible without Jaden Owens.
Owens finished the night with 11 assists, which Campbell said is well deserving of some credit.
“Jaden doesn’t get the credit she deserves,” said Campbell. “She is orchestrating a brand new system that she has never run with fourteen new players she has never played with. She is the little general out there for us and she makes it look easy. It is not. It is hard for us to take her off the court because of how good she makes things flow.”
Fifth career game in double figures for assists for @JadenOwens2#GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/fWmmGJOsee
— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) December 2, 2023
TCU had a strong start to the game with great ball movement across the board. Jaden Owens faked the layup and kicked it out to Una Jonavic, who made the layup, bringing the score to 9-6. Leading the conference in 3-point shots, Madison Conner found an open Sedona Prince down low, who went on to complete the layup with 5:14 left in the first quarter.
Tulsa’s Temira Poindexter was a dominant presence on the court, leading the team in points in the first half with 13. Poindexter knocked down a 3-pointer to bring the score to 11-13, but it only fueled the Frogs.
TCU scored three consecutive times at the end of the first quarter. Agnes Emma-Nnopu sank a 3-pointer, followed by a good layup from Prince, and another 3-pointer from Conner, bringing the score going into the second quarter to 21-15.
But TCU seemed to release the brakes in the quarter as the Golden Knights tightened up on defense and closed within a 3-point range of the Frogs, 23-20. Tulsa’s Delanie Crawford knocked down a 3-point shot at the 7:17 mark.
With two different fouls from the Golden Knights’ Amira Brown and Poindexter, Aaliyah Robertson hit one of her two free-throw attempts.
Conner followed up by sinking both free throws, bringing the game to 31-21 at the 1:42 mark. Conner didn’t miss a beat toward the end of the second quarter, nailing back-to-back threes and leading the Frogs into the locker room with their largest lead, 37-23.
Campbell noted that in the second quarter, they implemented a zone defense, which proved to be the game-changing factor.
“That really slowed them down and they struggled with that,” said Campbell. “We were able to get some rebounds and push it. The zone was the game changer and it allowed us to get out and push the tempo. That is where Madison got loose.”
An opening 3-pointer by Conner in the second half set the tone for the remainder of the game.
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The best start to a season in program history ✅#GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/PKMzpg7h7u
— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) December 2, 2023
Tulsa started scoring points with contributions from players like Ahrray Young, Katia Gallegos and Crawford. However, their efforts fell short as the Golden Knights outscored them 59-39 in the third quarter.
Conner continued her impressive performance, scoring three consecutive threes to open the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 68-41 with 8:19 on the clock.
Prince added seven more points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-point shot from behind the arc. A foul from Tulsa’s Caroline Lyles gave TCU’s Victoria Flores a chance at two points from the line. Flores sank both attempts, sealing the game at 82-50.
The 8-0 Horned Frogs will continue their home stand as they face the Abilene Christian Wildcats on Tuesday. The tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
A ??????-???????? celly calls for cake ?#GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/pBdfLU9xXq
— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) December 2, 2023
