By Danny Horne staff reporter Players and coaches for the Lady Frogs basketball team have said all year that they feel much more comfortable playing at home. After a 75-52 home victory over Fresno State Saturday, TCU (15-12, 6-6 Western Athletic Conference) reached the .500 mark in conference for the first time since Jan. 13 when they were 1-1. TCU started with a 10-2 run in the first four minutes of the first half, not allowing the Bulldogs (10-14, 3-7 WAC) to get closer the rest of the way. "We came out of the gates real quick, which definitely helped," head coach Jeff Mittie said. "We have not had that kind of start in a while." The Lady Frogs defense held Fresno to just 34 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers. TCU out-rebounded the Bulldogs 40-34. "I was very pleased with our defense," Mittie said. "We were able to force turnovers and rebound. We did not rebound too well against Texas-El Paso (last Thursday), so I was happy to see our rebounding bounce back." The Lady Frogs used a 15-5 run at the end of the first half to lead 40-22 at the break. TCU started the second half with another 15-5 run to lead 55-27. Fresno State's freshman guard Lindsay Logan, who scored 33 points in Fresno's 83-75 win Jan. 20, was held to just eight points on 3 of 13 shooting. "We were able to cut off her dribble and keep her on the perimeter most of the night," Mittie said. "We were definitely more aware of her this time around." Junior forward Amanda Baker was the only Bulldog to reach double figures with 17 points. She also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Junior forward Janice Thomas was one rebound away from her seventh double-double of the season. She posted a career-high 19 points and a game-high nine rebounds. "(Janice) Thomas' offensive rebounding was huge for us in the first half, but overall she played a great game," Mittie said. Thomas said she was pleased with how she played and how the team has been playing. "I came out with a lot of energy and felt good early," Thomas said. "I think we are playing better now. Everyone seems comfortable with their spots and where they are supposed to be." Sophomore guard Tricia Payne and freshman center Kim Walter each came off the bench with 11 points. Junior guard Jill Sutton scored 12 points and dished out six assists. The Lady Frogs picked up their third straight win and fourth in their last five games. Mittie said every win at the end of the season helps with momentum heading into the WAC tournament. "A three-game winning streak really helps at this time of the season," Mittie said. "You always want to be playing your best at the end of the season, and as I have been saying lately, we have been playing better and better with each game." The Lady Frogs complete their last homestand of the season next Sunday against first-place archrival Southern Methodist University (17-6, 10-1 WAC).
Danny Horne
The Sooners opened the game with four runs in the first inning on three hits, and they added a pair of runs in the second inning at the TCU Diamond. Junior right fielder Mickey Scala's two-run double in the bottom of the first inning cut Oklahoma's lead to two runs, but the Frogs never got closer. Senior pitcher Shaun Wooley replaced Hamilton (0-4) in the top of the third inning, and Wooley's fate was similar to Hamilton's. The Sooners combined three more hits to score four runs in Wooley's first inning of play. Down 10-2 in the bottom half of the third inning, TCU made another comeback attempt. Senior first baseman Terrance White and sophomore second baseman Erick Macha had consecutive run-producing hits, and senior third baseman Levi Groomer followed with a three-run home run to close within three runs, 10-7. Junior pitcher Stan Newton pitched two innings of scoreless relief for the Frogs, allowing the Sooners two hits in the fourth and fifth innings. A constant drizzle throughout the contest left the grass slick and the pitcher's mound damaged. The umpires decided to suspend the game after the fifth inning. |
Senior pitcher Mark Hamilton gave up six runs in two innings
as the TCU baseball team lost 10-8 in a rain-shortened game to the Oklahoma
Sooners Tuesday afternoon.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |