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TCU women upset No. 7 Texas 79-77 on Kianna Ray's late FTs

Posted January 11, 2018 6:00 am

By STEPHEN HAWKINS

TCU guard Kianna Ray (25) shoots a 3-point basket late in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU won 79-77. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) The Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - TCU guard Kianna Ray stood at the free throw line with 6 seconds left and a chance to beat her hometown team.

Ray made both free throws, giving the Horned Frogs a huge upset, 79-77 over No. 7 Texas on Wednesday night for their first win over a Top 10 team in more than eight years.

"I really wasn't," said Ray, the sophomore from Austin, when asked what she was thinking then. "We shoot those every day. ... Just take deep breaths and shoot it like I do every time."

Ray was fouled by Ariel Atkins on a drive to the basket. That came after Atkins tied the game, and the second time in the final 38 seconds the two traded baskets. Atkins had made a short runner in the lane before Ray's open 3-pointer put Frogs up 77-75.

TCU (11-5, 2-3 Big 12) had lost its last 13 games against ranked teams, and hadn't beaten a Top 10 team since a 56-54 home victory over No. 10 Texas A&M on Dec. 12, 2009.

"It's just a fun win. It's a fun win, and I don't really know how you can define a signature victory in the moment," fourth-year TCU coach Raegan Pebley said. "I think you have to see what happens after it. So we're just going to love on it right now and go to work."

Atkins had 25 points to lead Texas (13-2, 4-1), which had won six in a row since its only loss at Tennessee a month earlier. Lashann Higgs had 18 points, though her desperation 3 at the buzzer was way off the mark, and Audrey-Ann Cardon-Goudreaux had 11.

"I'm not shocked at all, actually," Higgs said. "We didn't come to play. We didn't play defense like we know how to play."

The Longhorns had a 10-point lead late in the first quarter, and then trailed by 12 before halftime. They led 69-64 with 4 1/2 minutes left after consecutive jumpers by Atkins.

"They played with more urgency and a lot more passion to win," Texas coach Karen Aston said. "We played in spurts. ... Really good in some spurts and disinterested in some spurts."

BIG PICTURE

Texas: The Longhorns were streaky shooters, making eight in a row early and having 11 misses in a row in the second quarter. Twice in the third quarter, they made four in a row.

TCU: The Frogs had been competitive in their Big 12 games. They led in the fourth quarter in two of their three losses, including against then-No. 9 West Virginia at home in their conference opener two weeks ago.

LUCKY 13

Moore scored six straight points in the middle of a 13-0 run that put TCU ahead in the second quarter. The Frogs had their first lead after Moore grabbed a blocked shot and made a layup. Texas missed 11 straight field goals in the quarter.

"We could have really set the tone for this entire game in the first quarter because we were playing well offensively," Aston said. "And we just didn't care to really guard them, and we allowed them to get some confidence and shots stopped going in for us, and we let that affect us."

HELPING OTHERS SCORE

Texas senior Brooke McCarty, who entered the game averaging 14.2 points, was scoreless in the first half. She did score nine points after halftime, and also had 11 assists. It was her second time in three games with 10 assists after none in her career before that.

UP NEXT

Texas is home Saturday on Kansas, two days before No. 1 UConn visits the Longhorns for a Big Monday matchup.

TCU goes to West Virginia to play the No. 15 Mountaineers for the second time in just over two weeks. West Virginia was ranked ninth when it won the Big 12 opener 87-82 in Fort Worth.

Texas guard Alecia Sutton is fouled by TCU guard Kianna Ray, right, as the two chased the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) The Associated Press

TCU's Kianna Ray (25), Toree Thompson (1), Jayde Woods (15) and Adeola Akomolafe (33) celebrate the team's 79-77 win over Texas in an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) The Associated Press

Texas' Alecia Sutton (1), Ariel Atkins (23) and Jatarie White, right rear, jog off the court after an NCAA college basketball game against TCU on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU won 79-77. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) The Associated Press

TCU coach Raegan Pebbley celebrates the team's 79-77 win over Texas in an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) The Associated Press

Texas guard Ariel Atkins fouls TCU guard Kianna Ray, rear, on a shot attempt during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) The Associated Press

Texas coach Karen Aston watches her team plays TCU during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) The Associated Press

Texas forward Jordan Hosey, left, defends as TCU forward Amy Okonkwo looks for an opening to the basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) The Associated Press

TCU guard Toree Thompson, left, defends as Texas guard Brooke McCarty, right, attempts to make a pass during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) The Associated Press

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