Cougars fall to No. 11 TCU in Fort Worth

FORT WORTH, Texas – BYU fell to the No. 11 TCU Horned Frogs 79-47 at Schollmaier Arena on Tuesday night.

After trailing by 10 early in the first quarter, the Cougars cut the TCU lead to three at 29-26 midway through the second period. The Horned Frogs led by eight at the break, but BYU kept within striking distance before TCU extended its lead to 18 at the end of the third.

Despite multiple attempted runs, the deficit was too much to overcome as the No. 11 Horned Frogs held the Cougars to their lowest point total of the season.

Emma Calvert led the Cougars in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, going 1-for-3 from downtown. The senior forward also recorded six rebounds, a block and an assist in the loss.

Delaney Gibb scored 14 points on the night on 5-for-13 shooting, her 20^th game with 14 or more points this season. The freshman also tabbed three rebounds, three steals and two assists in the loss to the Horned Frogs.

Outside of Calvert and Gibb, the rest of the Cougar team went 7-of-27 from the floor and 1-for-4 from three to combine for 17 points on the night. BYU turned it over 16 times which led to 25 TCU points. The Cougars also gave up 16 offensive boards that resulted in 11 second-chance points for the Horned Frogs.

First Quarter

After a score on TCU’s first possession, Whiting scored off the window to knot the game at two. The Horned Frogs countered the BYU bucket with seven-straight points to take a 9-2 lead with 6:47 to go in the first. Gibb ended the 3:20 scoring drought with a right-wing triple, assisted by Whiting in transition.

TCU’s Madison Conner immediately answered with a three of her own to retake a nine-point advantage. After a layup by Kambree Barber, the barrage of threes continued as TCU and BYU connected on back-to-back offerings from downtown, this time by Kemery Congdon.

After forcing a turnover, Gibb converted it into points with a score off the glass to pull BYU within five at 17-12. Emma Calvert joined the fun from three as she knocked down her first of the game with 2:23 to go in the opening frame. Calvert followed with two more scores inside to cut the deficit to two at 21-19. TCU would score once more to lead 23-19 after one.

Second Quarter

Congdon opened the second quarter with a mid-range jumper off the glass to quickly pull BYU within two at 23-21. A 5-0 TCU run pushed the Horned Frogs ahead 28-21 before two free throws from Calvert and a driving layup by Gibb brought the Cougars back within three.

The home team scored nine-straight points, including two threes off of BYU turnovers to climb ahead by 12 with 1:58 to go in the quarter. BYU fought back with four-consecutive points to end the half, down just eight to the No. 11 team in the land.

Third Quarter

TCU opened the scoring in the third with four-straight points before a physical take by Gibb who scored off the glass to pull BYU back within 10 at 42-32. Between the 8:21 and 4:02 mark of the third, the Cougars were held without a made field goal while hitting four free throws. In that time, the Horned Frogs pushed the lead to 14.

Gibb ended the drought with a left-handed scoop off the window, but TCU extended the lead the 15 with a right-wing triple. Congdon and Calvert each scored for BYU but were countered by two Horned Frog threes to maintain a 16-point advantage for the home team.

Fourth Quarter

TCU opened the fourth with a 10-2 run over the first 5:19 to maintain a 14-point lead. Barber hit a floater with 4:20 left to play for BYU's final points of the night. The Cougars were outscored 18-4 in the fourth en route to their 10th conference loss.

Tonight's loss drops the Cougars to 12-12 on the season and 3-10 in Big 12 conference play with five games remaining. 

Up Next

The Cougars return to the friendly confines of the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 15 to host the No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowgirls for a second-straight game against a ranked opponent. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. MT with the game streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast live on BYU Radio with Jason Shepherd on the call.