Dec. 20, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
The Opponent: Houston Cougars
Game #12
TCU (5-6) at Houston (4-7)
Houston, Texas -- Hofheinz Pavilion (8,500)
Friday, Dec. 21 -- 7 p.m.
Radio: 88.7 KTCU-FM, gofrogs.com
Internet: Live Radio via KTCU; Live Stats via All-Access
FORT WORTH--TCU looks to follow up one of the more impressive wins in program history Friday, as the Lady Frogs travel to Houston to take on the in-state rival Houston Cougars. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at UH's Hofheinz Pavilion.
The Frogs, fresh off a 97-63 drubbing of No. 20/23 Oklahoma State Tuesday in Fort Worth, will play for the final time before a Dec. 29 home game against Grambling State. The squad hopes to build some momentum heading into the conference season, as only two more non-league matchups remain on the schedule after this weekend.
Houston holds a 9-28 advantage in the all-time series, which began in 1983. The Frogs have experienced their most successful stretch recently by taking five of the last 10 meetings, including a 57-46 win last season at home. The two teams are former league rivals in both the Southwest Conference (1982-96) and Conference USA (2000-05).
Tuesday's game can be heard live on the radio in the Metroplex on 88.7 KTCU-FM with Jeff Williams (play-by-play) and Marcy Girton (color) calling the action. All games this season, home and away, will be broadcast live on KTCU. Live statistics will be available on
GoFrogs.com.
Frog Quick Notes
-TCU hopes to end a five-game road winless streak. The team has not earned a road win since last season's 78-61 win at San Diego State on Feb. 28.
-TCU has shot at least 53 percent from the field in two of the last three games after going seven straight games without breaking 40 percent.
-The Frogs lead the Mountain West Conference in offensive rebounds (16.32 pg) and rank second in steals (11.09 pg), turnover margin (+3.82) and 3-pointers made (5.64 pg).
-Adrianne Ross is only eight steals shy of the TCU career record (284).
-Ross needs only 51 more points to move into second place on TCU's career scoring chart.
-Ross is the only player among the MWC's top-5 individuals in scoring, assists and steals.
-Ross is averaging 21.8 ppg over her last four contests.
-Lorie Butler-Rayford is the only player among the MWC's top-6 rankings for both rebounds (fourth) and steals (fifth).
-The senior class of Butler-Rayford, Knight, Jenna Lohse, Helen Roden and Adrianne Ross have combined for 3,105 points, 1,503 rebounds, 886 assists and 617 steals during their careers.
Scouting Houston (4-7)
Houston brings a 4-7 record into Thursday's game under the direction of interim Head Coach Danny Hughes, a 1990 graduate of TCU. Hughes, a former TCU letterwinner as a member of the 1988-89 men's team, is filling in for Head Coach Joe Curl, who suffered a heart attack prior to the start of the season.
The Cougars enter the matchup having won three of their last five contests following an early five-game losing streak. The squad is averaging 65.5 points per game and shooting only 35.7 percent from the field as a team, although it is out-rebounding opponents by an average of 2.9 boards per game.
Guard Twiggy McIntyre leads Houston in scoring this season with a 12.8 points-per-game average. Reigning Conference USA Player of the Year Tye Jackson ranks second at 12.7 ppg despite having battled a chronic knee injury. Jackson is a member of the Naismith Tropy Watch List after entering the season as the nation's No. 3 returning scorer from a year ago (22.5 ppg). Guard/forward Courtney Taylor leads the Cougar efforts on the glass having averaged 7.3 rebounds per game to go with her 9.2 ppg average.
Breaking Through
TCU posted one of the most impressive wins in program history during a Dec. 18 win over No. 20/23 Oklahoma State. The game marked what was by far the largest margin of victory in program history over a ranked team, 14 points more than the previous high of 20 points over No. 12/11 DePaul on Feb. 22, 2004.
The Frogs improved to 11-35 against Top-25 teams under Jeff Mittie. While the program had never posted a win over a ranked squad prior to Mittie's arrival, it now owns a six-year streak with at least one such victory.
TCU's Largest Victory Margins vs. Ranked Teams
Margin--Opponnent (Date)--Score
34--#20/23 Oklahoma St. (1/18/07)--97-63
20--No. 12/11 DePaul (2/22/04)--73-53
17--No. 8/8 Vanderbilt (12/2/02)--70-53
10--No. 12/11 DePaul (3/5/05)--87-77
9--No. 9/9 New Mexico (1/11/06)--76-67
An Historic Performance
Lorie Butler-Rayford recorded one of the top individual shooting performances in NCAA history during TCU's Dec. 18 win over previously unbeaten No. 20/23 Oklahoma State, going 13-of-15 from the field while scoring 30 points.
Butler-Rayford fell only one made field goal shy of the nation's all-time top-10 single-game efforts for shooting percentage, as several individuals have shot 14-of-15 to have their names placed in the NCAA record book. Following an 8-for-10 first half, she made each of her five second-half attempts.
Butler-Rayford dominated the paint throughout the game and also finished with 15 rebounds. Only two other Lady Frogs--Sandora Irvin and Janice Dziuk--have registered at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a single game. Irvin reached the feat Dec. 9, 2004 against Oklahoma with 32 points and 18 boards, while Dziuk became the first Frog to do it on Feb. 17, 1990 against Rice (32 pts, 17 rbs).
