TCU defense confounds high-scoring Boise State women’s basketball team
Boise State’s normally high-scoring offense had no answer for TCU’s 2-3 zone defense.
The Horned Frogs held the Broncos to a season low in points in a 77-65 victory in the 2019 Maggie Dixon Classic on Sunday at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Boise State entered the matchup averaging 78.4 points per game — a mark tied for 34th in the country among Division I women’s basketball teams.
“The opening part of this game, we did not handle the extended 2-3 (zone) very well at all,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell told Chris Lewis in a postgame radio interview on KTIK 1350 AM. “We just didn’t move very well, got a little insecure and the rim shrunk on us.”
TCU (6-0) outrebounded Boise State 43-27, including a 15-6 advantage on the offensive glass, while holding the Broncos to a season-low 5-of-13 from 3-point range. The loss is the third in four games for Boise State (4-4), which has been outrebounded in each of its four losses.
“Defensively, we couldn’t block them out,” Presnell said. “They’d miss and go get it.”
A slow start once again proved costly for the Broncos. Last Sunday, Boise State spotted No. 8 Louisville a 17-point lead after one quarter. Against the Horned Frogs, Boise State went a stretch of 5 minutes, 8 seconds without a basket and committed seven turnovers in the opening quarter, resulting in a 22-11 deficit.
Meanwhile, TCU went 10-for-21 from beyond the arc with junior guard Lauren Heard and senior guard Jaycee Bradley knocking down three triples apiece. Heard finished with a season-high 25 points — two short of matching her career high.
Mallory McGwire and Braydey Hodgins paced Boise State with 11 points each. McGwire also pulled down a team-leading nine rebounds. All 10 Broncos who played managed to score, but it was not enough to counter 20 Boise State turnovers and a lackluster effort on the boards.
Boise State next hosts New Mexico at 7 p.m. Wednesday at ExtraMile Arena in a key Mountain West Conference matchup. The Broncos were favored to win the league title in a preseason coaches’ poll, and the Lobos were picked second.
“We’re gonna have to play a lot better if we’re going to be successful next week,” Presnell said. “We’ve got a lot of big games ahead of us, so hopefully we can get it together on Monday and Tuesday and get ready for a really, really good New Mexico team.”
TCU 77, BOISE ST. 65
BOISE ST. (4-4)
Mallory McGwire 5-9 0-0 11; Braydey Hodgins 3-9 4-5 11; Ellie Woerner 3-4 1-1 8; Riley Lupfer 3-9 0-0 8; A’Shanti Coleman 3-7 0-0 6; Jade Loville 3-8 0-1 6; Rachel Bowers 3-5 0-1 6; Jayde Christopher 2-2 0-3 4; Maggie Freeman 0-1 3-4 3; Laia Soler 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 26-55 8-15 65.
TCU (6-0)
Lauren Heard 7-11 8-9 25; Kianna Ray 5-12 2-5 14; Jayde Woods 3-5 3-6 10; Jaycee Bradley 3-7 0-0 9; Michelle Berry 2-6 2-2 7; Adeola Akomolafe 2-11 2-3 6; Becky Obinma 1-1 0-0 2; Ryann Payne 1-2 0-0 2; Madi Puli 1-1 0-0 2; Ella Hellessey 0-1 0-0 0; Alexandria Crain 0-0 0-0 0; Tavy Diggs 0-0 0-0 0; Yummy Morris 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-58 17-25 77.
Boise St...................... 11 12 20 22 — 65
TCU........................... 22 15 22 18 — 77
3-point goals — Boise St. 5-13 (Lupfer 2-7; McGwire 1-1; Woerner 1-1; Hodgins 1-3; Loville 0-1), TCU 10-21 (Bradley 3-7; Heard 3-5; Ray 2-5; Berry 1-2; Woods 1-1; Hellessey 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Boise St. 27 (McGwire 9), TCU 43 (Berry 13). Assists — Boise St. 17 (Christopher 8), TCU 17 (Heard 4). Total fouls — Boise St. 21, TCU 20. Technical fouls — None. A — 1,500.
This story was originally published December 1, 2019 at 7:15 PM.
