By Danny Horne staff reporter Freshman center Kim Walter has become one of the most consistent players on offense, but she said she is just another part of the team, her coach said. TCU women's basketball head coach Jeff Mittie said Walter has stepped up her game when the team needed her most. "We needed to get something else going offensively because our outside shooting was struggling," Mittie said. "Kim has been one of our most consistent players on offense over the last few games." Walter has averaged 18 points and 6.5 rebounds in her last four games. She has also been the most consistent inside threat for the Frogs, Mittie said. "The focus of our offense at the beginning of the season was the outside shot, but it got to the point where we needed a second option," Walter said. Walter said coming in as a freshman she was an unproven player, so she had to prove what she could do before she could become a serious offensive threat. "When you are not getting a lot of minutes in the game, you have to find other ways to open the coach's eyes," she said. "I worked hard in practice and played well during the few minutes I got early in the season." Mittie said the coaching staff knew they had a talented player in Walter, but they were unsure when she would blossom. Walter's opportunity came when senior forward Shonda Mack went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon. "I think I was ready to play because I never doubted my ability to play at the college level," Walter said. "I have had to do some on-the-job learning, but I think I have made good adjustments." Mittie said he could see the potential in Walter's game, but she needed to continue to work hard at improving her game. "When she got here, it was evident that she needed to get a little stronger, but she already had the tools offensively and defensively to be effective," Mittie said. The more physical teams would control the inside against Walter early in the season because she was not playing her aggressive style, Mittie said. "The only issue was her confidence," Mittie said. "The last four games are clear signs that she can play and play well for us." Junior guard Jill Sutton relates Walter's experiences to her own as a freshman. "Kim has adjusted really well to the college game," Sutton said. "She has really played amazing for us lately, averaging double figures consistently." While Walter said she has experienced some relatively uncharacteristic success for a freshman, she knows that it could all disappear if she does not continue to work hard. "There is always room for improvement no matter what part of the game it is," Walter said. "Every player needs to continue to develop the fundamentals whether it be rebounding or blocking-out." Mittie said Walter's fundamentals should not suffer because she has an incredible work ethic. Her hard work has allowed her to play effectively against anyone, he said. "She played two of her best games against two of the toughest players in the Western Athletic Conference - junior Dainora Puida of Hawaii and senior Karlin Kennedy of Southern Methodist. Early in the season, it may have been different," Mittie said. Walter said she does not have any particular goals set for herself or her future at TCU. She said the team concept is all that matters. "As long as I feel I played my best and contributed to the team, I will be happy," Walter said. "I am not the type of player to worry about personal statistics or goals because that does not win games. It will still be a team sport no matter how well I play."
Danny Horne
By Danny Horne staff reporter The TCU Lady Horned Frogs basketball team needed one more clutch shot Thursday night against Rice but came up short. The Lady Owls (12-6, 4-2 Western Athletic Conference) picked up their fourth straight win and 18th straight over TCU by outlasting the Lady Frogs 67-65 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. "We were never able to put [TCU] away," Rice head coach Cristy McKinney said. "They came back every time we got a lead and hit some big shots." TCU hit several key shots down the stretch and were primed to force overtime, but Rice senior guard Marla Brumfield who lead all scorers with 23 points, hit the game-winner with less than three seconds remaining. "Marla played great all night," McKinney said. "She was hitting her shots all night and played well defensively. "We needed her defense just as much as her offense because we wanted to stop (junior guard Jill) Sutton." Despite containing Sutton, the Lady Owls could not stop junior guard Diamond Jackson from hitting the outside shot. She bounced back from a 10-point, three for 15 shooting performance against Southern Methodist to lead all TCU scorers with 18 points on seven of 17 from the field. Jackson also hit four of eight shots from three-point range. "I was really pleased with how we shot the ball as a team in the second half," TCU women's basketball head coach Jeff Mittie said. "(Sophomore guard) Tricia (Payne) hit `some clutch shots and Diamond (Jackson) obviously shot well." A constant full-court pressure by the Rice defense forced 23 TCU turnovers. "Their pressure really bothered us," Mittie said. "We knew they would come in with the pressure, but I was hoping we would handle it a little better." McKinney said they were geared toward stopping Sutton and shutting down the inside game of freshman center Kim Walter. The Lady Owls allowed Walter just nine points and did not give her many looks at the basket. Walter was held under double figures for the first time since January 13 against San Jose State. Junior forward Janice Thomas tallied a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Lady Frogs (11-11, 2-5 WAC) trailed 34-30 at halftime, but Rice jumped out early in the second half to grab a 46-36 lead. TCU continually came back against the Lady Owls and drew even 54-54 with 7:26 remaining in the game. Rice went on a 9-2 run and led 63-56 with 5 minutes left, but again the Lady Frogs battled back to tie the score at 65-65 on a jumper by Jackson. After a Rice time-out, the Lady Owls rushed down the court and Brumfield hit the eventual game-winner. "We wanted to slow the ball down and cut off the dribble, but (Brumfield) hit a tough shot," Mittie said. "It just was not meant to be tonight." The Lady Frogs had one last chance, but a desperation three-pointer by Jackson bounced off the rim. "We have a short break before the Tulsa game," Mittie said. "We will need to bounce back and play well on Saturday."
Danny Horne |
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