Earlier in the season against TCU, the K-State women’s basketball team surpassed their season scoring average at halftime and then some in an offensive outburst that nearly finished with the Wildcats eclipsing the 100-point mark for the first time in almost a decade.
K-State hoped to repeat that performance in Forth Worth, Texas Saturday as head coach Jeff Mittie returned to face his former team for the first time.
TCU, however, had other ideas.
The Horned Frogs held K-State to just 16 points in the first half on seven-made field goals en route to a 67-47 blowout.
Thirty seconds into the game, TCU junior guard Zahna Medley made her first 3-point shot of the afternoon and never looked back. Medley led TCU on a 14-4 run to start the game, connecting on three 3-point shots. She went on to score a team-high 18 points on 6-9 shooting in the victory.
K-State was kept alive offensively by sophomore forward Breanna Lewis and senior guard Ashia Woods. The two combined for 10 of K-State’s 16 first-half points, but combined for just three points in the second half as TCU pulled ahead.
The closest the Wildcats would come to the Horned Frogs was 13 points in the beginning of the second half. The Horned Frogs pulled away with a 10-0 run midway through the second half.
TCU shot 54.8 percent from the field in the win and 63.2 percent from 3-point range. The Horned Frogs came into the contest ranked third in the Big 12 in scoring offense (69.5 points per game), second in field goal percentage (.432) and first in 3-point percentage (.376).
K-State shot just 30.8 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from 3-point range. Not a single Wildcat finished in double-figures and Lewis, who holds the school record for the most blocks in the single season, ended the game without a blocked shot for the first time all season.
It was senior night in Fort Worth, and TCU’s seniors stepped up. Guards Natalie Ventress and Donielle Breaux combined for 18 points. Ventress shot 3-5 from 3-point range. Forward Chelsea Prince had five steals.
The Horned Frogs now lead the all-time series 4-3 against the Wildcats. K-State fell to 16-12 overall and 6-11 in conference play, while TCU improved to 17-11 and 9-8 in the conference.
K-State will take on West Virginia at home on Tuesday in the final game of the regular season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum.
