The Texas Christian women's basketball team, at one point early on in their match up against the Gators, were shooting 63% from the field, yet the Horned Frogs were unable to secure the win.
How is this possible? The answer is turnovers. All 22 of them.
Florida (7-3) came away with a 63-54 win over TCU (3-4) Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas, despite being dominated in the paint by senior Yummy Morris, graduate student Lauren Heard and junior Tavy Diggs.
This SEC and Big 12 showdown began as a competitive display of offensive talent from both teams.
Florida junior Lavender Briggs and graduate student Kiara Smith made their veteran presence known early, as Smith put up six points and four rebounds while Briggs put up four points of her own.
Diggs led the way for the Horned Frogs with six points, including a smooth jumper to put TCU up 18-17 at the end of the first 10 minutes.
In the second, Heard and Morris continued running the floor for the Horned Frogs, as they actively called for the ball and pinned their opponents behind them underneath the basket. Sophomore Jordyn Merritt proved to be the difference maker for the Gators in the second quarter, as her six points helped Florida go on an 8-0 run to close the first half up 37-31.
TCU’s persistent, pestering defense created six Florida turnovers in the first half. But the Horned Frogs were prone to turning over the ball, too, committing 10 of their own.
The third quarter only seemed to exacerbate the Horned Frogs' inability to score. TCU was shooting 16.7% halfway through the third quarter. The turnovers kept piling up, as the Horned Frogs coughed up the ball 16 times over the first 30 minutes.
Briggs continued her dominance in the fourth quarter, as she ended the night with 22 points and six rebounds. Smith did not take her foot off the gas either, as she notched a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Heard kept her team in the game, ending the afternoon with 17 points and four rebounds. Senior Okako Adika also put up an impressive 11 points to go along with four rebounds, but the Horned Frogs had no answer for Briggs and Smith.
This Sunday afternoon matchup also saw the return of Florida senior guard Kristina Moore, who played two minutes off the bench early on. Moore had been unavailable since she suffered an ankle injury during Florida’s 70-55 victory at home against Grambling State.
This victory comes at the end of a four-game road swing for the Gators, and they return home to the Stephen O’Connell Center Dec. 8 to face Dayton. The game is set to begin at 2 p.m. and can be streamed on SEC Network+.
Contact Brenda Bogle at bbogle@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @bogle_brenda.
Brenda Bogle is a UF journalism senior with a specialization in sports and media. She joined The Alligator in the Fall of 2021.
