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Lady
Frogs finish season strong
By
Shawn Finer
Staff Writer
Injuries often plague great athletic teams, and tough
losses tend to stop a great team’s momentum.
This is true for most sports teams, but it’s not
the case for the No. 20 Lady Frogs’ basketball team.
The Lady Frogs had their best season yet with a 27-7 record
and a second round appearance in the NCAA tournament.
This marks the Lady Frogs’ fourth-straight NCAA tournament
bid, as well as the fourth successive appearance into
the second round.
Head coach Jeff Mittie is in his fifth season with the
team. After his first season at TCU, he has not allowed
the Frogs to have fewer than 20 wins in a season.
Injuries weighed the Lady Frogs down, but their determination
kept them from staying there. Senior forward Tiffany Evans
said the greatest accomplishment of the team was its unity.
“We really came together as a team, through good
times and hard, and were able to excel in all our games,”
Evans said. “When there were injuries and players
that were unable to play, the rest of the team came as
one.”
The 2003-2004 Lady Frogs made one of the best starts in
TCU women’s basketball history with eight straight
wins. The Rutgers University Scarlet Nights handed the
Lady Frogs their first loss nine games into the season.
In conference play, the Lady Frogs ended the regular season
with an 11-3 record in Conference USA. The Lady Frogs
placed second overall behind Houston. One of TCU’s
toughest losses came from the Lady Cougars in the C-USA
championship game.
Entering the NCAA tournament, the Lady Frogs defeated
Temple in a 70-57 win. In the second round, TCU played
a hard-fought game against Georgia Tech. The Lady Frogs
made a close comeback but couldn’t overcome the deficit
in the final minutes and lost 71-85.
This season has allowed for even stronger recruiting as
TCU women’s basketball becomes better known throughout
the nation. Evans said TCU has a better chance of recruiting
great players for years to come.
Much of the team consists of very talented underclassmen.
Junior Sandora Irvin, who was named Associated Press Honorable
Mention All-American, will return next year. Irvin has
set single-season records with 504 points, 366 rebounds,
195 field goals made and is only 68 points away from being
the all-time leading scorer in TCU women’s basketball.
Only five players graduate in May, while nine others are
returning next season. |
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File
Photo
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| Junior
forward Sandora Irvin became the all-time leading
rebounder at TCU during the Cincinnati game Jan.
25. |
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