Lady Frogs fall to No. 3 Tennessee
By Drew Irwin
Skiff Staff

Two seasons ago on Nov. 27, the Lady Frogs played against Tennessee in front of a record-setting crowd of 7,262 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

Even though TCU lost 81-62, it hung with the then-ranked No. 2 team in the country.

The Lady Frogs had another chance to face off against Tennessee Tuesday night. This time they were at Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena. Even though they shot almost 45 percent from the field, the Lady Frogs were unable to upset No. 3 Tennessee as they lost, 86-72.

“I’m proud of our team,” head coach Jeff Mittie said in a post-game radio interview. “I’m proud of the way we battled, but I’m disappointed because we’re not mature enough to play in some situations.”

Tennessee jumped to an early 11-0 lead behind two three-pointers by guard Kara Lawson, but TCU clawed back to cut the deficit to 41-40 at halftime. When TCU faced off against Tennessee two seasons ago, it had a nine-point halftime deficit. Junior forward Amy Pack led Tuesday’s comeback with 14 points, including 2-2 from three-point range, in the first half.

“She was fantastic,” Mittie said. “She missed her first shot and then went six for six. She did some good things for us.”

Tennessee came out strong in the second half, quickly expanding its lead to 51-43 three minutes into the second half. The Lady Frogs, however, scrapped their way back into the game, cutting the lead back to three.

The Lady Volunteers were too much for TCU down the stretch. TCU cut the lead to four again with six minutes remaining, but Tennessee pulled away at the end, steadily improving its lead with free throws.

“I’m proud of the way we played hard,” Mittie said. “Because we could’ve quit much earlier, and we didn’t.”

Junior guard Ebony Shaw led TCU in scoring with 16 points off the bench. Pack, who led all scorers at the first half, was kept off the scoreboard the second half.

Along with Shaw, junior forward Tiffany Evans came off the bench with 15 points and four assists. For the game, the TCU bench contributed for 42 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists.

Sophomore forward Sandora Irvin had a team-high of eight rebounds.

For Tennessee, Lawson led all players with 20 points in 37 minutes. Guard Tasha Butts led all players with 10 rebounds, as the Lady Volunteers outrebounded the Lady Frogs, 38-32.

“I hope we can continue to play with this energy,” Mittie said. “Hopefully we can build off this and continue to grow more consistent.”

Drew Irwin
r.a.irwin@tcu.edu