TCU’s avalanche of 15 3s bombard SMU

Forth Worth, TX — In a quest to extend their season to 3-0, SMU visited the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas this past Sunday. Although the weather was chilly at Schollmaier Arena, this Dallas Forth Worth Metroplex rivalry heated things up, as this game marked the 59 series matchup.

TCU’s AJ Alix set the tone and pace of the game at the opening of the first quarter, by draining her first three of the day. Jada Butts and Amber Ramirez added their own threes to the Horned Frogs score to strengthen their lead. McKenzie Adams answered for SMU as she dropped back-to-back three pointers to close out a feverish first quarter with the Mustangs trailing 30-20.

The Mustangs’ four turnovers and the Horned Frogs four fouls in the second quarter allowed both teams to simmer down and make defensive adjustments. TCU sophomore center, Jordan Moore, wreaked havoc in the paint as she accumulated 11 rebounds, one block, and 13 points.

SMU attempted to stop the bleeding with double teams but to no avail as they struggled to guard Moore in the paint, as well as stop the plethora of threes the Horned Frogs were draining. TCU showed no signs of slowing down as they hit 10-of-13 triples in the first half.

Before the end of the half, Kiara Perry’s three and Kami Micken’s two free throws kept the game within three for the Mustangs. Alicia Froling’s nine points and three rebounds combined with McKenzie Adam’s 12 points and four rebounds showcased SMU’s relentless fight to gain back control and the tempo of the game.

With the start of the second half, the Horned Frogs amped up their defense to hold the Mustangs to 1-for-9 shooting and grew their lead to 10 points with the help of Alix’s 15 points. Adams showed overwhelming growth of confidence as she found herself leading her teammates trying to rally from being outscored 18-10.

Even with a high turnover ratio with SMU turning the ball over 13 times compared to TCU’s nine, the fourth quarter showed a lot of heart on both ends of the court for the Mustangs. Dai’ja Thomas’ was injured as she tried to rebound the ball and it seemed to light a small fire under SMU to leave everything on the court for their fallen teammate.

The Mustangs were led by Adams who had 21 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Froling also contributed in a big way with 20 points, 12 rebounds and two assists — unfortunately their numbers wouldn’t be enough.

In the end, it would be TCU’s show stopping 15-for-25 three-point shooting that stole the game away from SMU. With a score of 76-67, the series match-up would now reflect the Horned Frog’s 19 win over the Mustangs in the series match-up.

SMU will look to bounce back from this loss on November 22 at Moody Coliseum by hosting Prairie View A&M at 5:30 PM. For TCU, they will look to stay undefeated when they host Grambling State on Nov. 22 at 6:30 pm CT.