University of Houston
TCU
Lady Cougars Fall to TCU in Conference Opener
1/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2002
TCU came out strong from tip-off and built an early lead while holding the Lady Cougars to just six points in the opening 17 minutes of the first half en route to a 61-49 victory in the conference opener on Sunday (Jan. 6) afternoon at Hofheinz Pavilion.
TCU senior forward Kati Safaritova bucketed 26 points and junior Grace Grantt registered a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the Horned Frogs' win.
Houston shot just18 percent from the field in the first half and entered half-time down, 26-18, but they recuperated in the second half, shooting nearly 43 percent as a team. Leading the Lady Cougars' second-half resurgence was sophomore Chandi Jones, who shot 8-of-13 from the floor and recorded 21 of Houston's 31 second-half points, including a run in which she scored 14 straight points.
Houston shaved the Horned Frogs' lead to just two points (39-41) with 9:16 left in regulation on a two-point jumper by freshman Shondra Bush. TCU then answered with a 10-0 run to build upon their lead. A two-point basket by Jones with just under three minutes to play pulled Houston to within seven (5-52), but a three-pointer by Candance Baldwin put TCU back up on top by ten. Two made free throws by Ashanti Nix with 1:12 left gave the Horned Frogs' a 12-point advantage, and despite another two-pointer by Jones, TCU sealed the victory on a last-second two-point by Ebony Shaw.
Jones closed out the afternoon with a season-high 27 points, and pulled down nine boards. Senior Valerie Muoneke, despite having an off-day in shooting, pulled down a team-high 11 boards, and Bush joined Jones in double figures with 10 points.
With the loss, Houston falls to 9-4 overall on the season , 0-1 in Conference USA. They next travel to take on TCU at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in Fort Worth on Sunday, Jan. 13, with tip-off scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (CST). The game can be heard on KGBC AM 1540 as well as via the internet at www.tsrnsports.com.
