Guns Up!
12-29-2002, 09:29 AM
Lady Frogs cruise to upset of No. 9 Vandy
By Ruben Martinez
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH - With nearly six minutes gone in the second half Saturday night, Tricia Payne calmly knocked down a 3-pointer, making her the fifth player in TCU history to score 1,000 points. On the next possession, she was open again and raised her total to 1,003. After an ensuing steal, she fed Ebony Shaw for a fast-break layup. After each possession, she returned upcourt with fists pumping.
This was not Vanderbilt's night, and Payne's accomplishments only heightened the fact that TCU had its first victory over a top 10 opponent, dismantling No. 9 Vanderbilt 70-53 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
"We're going to enjoy it until midnight tonight, then go get ready for Texas Southern [on Monday]," TCU coach Jeff Mittie said.
"Or 4 [a.m.]," Ebony Shaw added.
The victory also helped the Frogs (5-5) break out of a pattern they had fallen into this season: starting slowly and finishing strong.
Candace Baldwin's coast-to-coast layup gave TCU a 17-4 advantage early on, but Mittie said his halftime speech stressed coming out strong in the second half to make a big finish less important.
Payne's spurt did just that: It gave TCU a 52-25 lead. Vanderbilt (7-2) never moved closer than 16 points.
"Defensively, we were outstanding all game long," Mittie said. "We wanted to do two things to slow them down. No. 1 was our guard pressure, and No. 2 was trying to get the ball [out of Vanderbilt center Chantelle Anderson's hands] before it got there. And we were mildly successful."
Mittie's team was more than mildy effective in shutting down the Commodores, who were averaging 83.1 points per game on 55.2 percent shooting. They finished the game with a season-low 38.8 shooting percentage and a season low in points. They were also one turnover away from tying a season-high (26) after giving the ball up 17 times in the first half.
"I told coach Mittie that I love his team," Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said. "They've got a great mix of players. And they've got depth."
Anderson said her team was intimidated by TCU's physical play.
Payne entered the game averaging 6.6 points per game, but finished with 21 on 6-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range.
"It's exciting [to have 1,000 points], because there have been so many good players play here," Payne said.
BREAKDOWN
WHY TCU WON
The Frogs forced 26 turnovers and shot 46.3 percent from the field.
WHY VANDERBILT LOST
The Commodores never found any kind of rhythm. They finished with only five assists and were bullied by a more aggressive TCU team.
NOTABLE
• This is TCU's second victory over a ranked team. The Frogs beat No. 22 Penn St. in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
• Vanderbilt center Chantelle Anderson did not start the second half after feeling sick. She returned later in the second half and finished with 19 points.
• For the first time in two games, TCU changed lineups. Ebony Shaw replaced Tracy Winn in the starting lineup.
By Ruben Martinez
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH - With nearly six minutes gone in the second half Saturday night, Tricia Payne calmly knocked down a 3-pointer, making her the fifth player in TCU history to score 1,000 points. On the next possession, she was open again and raised her total to 1,003. After an ensuing steal, she fed Ebony Shaw for a fast-break layup. After each possession, she returned upcourt with fists pumping.
This was not Vanderbilt's night, and Payne's accomplishments only heightened the fact that TCU had its first victory over a top 10 opponent, dismantling No. 9 Vanderbilt 70-53 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
"We're going to enjoy it until midnight tonight, then go get ready for Texas Southern [on Monday]," TCU coach Jeff Mittie said.
"Or 4 [a.m.]," Ebony Shaw added.
The victory also helped the Frogs (5-5) break out of a pattern they had fallen into this season: starting slowly and finishing strong.
Candace Baldwin's coast-to-coast layup gave TCU a 17-4 advantage early on, but Mittie said his halftime speech stressed coming out strong in the second half to make a big finish less important.
Payne's spurt did just that: It gave TCU a 52-25 lead. Vanderbilt (7-2) never moved closer than 16 points.
"Defensively, we were outstanding all game long," Mittie said. "We wanted to do two things to slow them down. No. 1 was our guard pressure, and No. 2 was trying to get the ball [out of Vanderbilt center Chantelle Anderson's hands] before it got there. And we were mildly successful."
Mittie's team was more than mildy effective in shutting down the Commodores, who were averaging 83.1 points per game on 55.2 percent shooting. They finished the game with a season-low 38.8 shooting percentage and a season low in points. They were also one turnover away from tying a season-high (26) after giving the ball up 17 times in the first half.
"I told coach Mittie that I love his team," Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said. "They've got a great mix of players. And they've got depth."
Anderson said her team was intimidated by TCU's physical play.
Payne entered the game averaging 6.6 points per game, but finished with 21 on 6-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range.
"It's exciting [to have 1,000 points], because there have been so many good players play here," Payne said.
BREAKDOWN
WHY TCU WON
The Frogs forced 26 turnovers and shot 46.3 percent from the field.
WHY VANDERBILT LOST
The Commodores never found any kind of rhythm. They finished with only five assists and were bullied by a more aggressive TCU team.
NOTABLE
• This is TCU's second victory over a ranked team. The Frogs beat No. 22 Penn St. in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
• Vanderbilt center Chantelle Anderson did not start the second half after feeling sick. She returned later in the second half and finished with 19 points.
• For the first time in two games, TCU changed lineups. Ebony Shaw replaced Tracy Winn in the starting lineup.