TCU Women's Basketball Resumes Big 12 Play in Florida

TCU women’s basketball will remain on the road this weekend as it resumes Big 12 Conference play. The No.9-ranked Horned Frogs (18-2 overall, 6-1 Big 12) will take on the UCF Knights (10-9, 2-6) in Orlando on Saturday, Jan. 24. UCF has almost matched its total win output from last season (12) under fourth-year head coach Sytia Messer.

The Knights are tied for 13th place in the Big 12, while TCU and Baylor are the only teams with one conference loss.

Last Time Out: TCU

The Horned Frogs dropped their final nonconference game to No. 14 Ohio State 71-69 at the Coretta Scott King Classic. TCU held a 10-point lead after the first quarter, but that dwindled to three by halftime. Guard Chance Gray hit some critical 3-point shots down the stretch to help Ohio State emerge with a top-10 win. Gray nailed 6-of-8 from long range.

The turnover bug hurt TCU once again, as Ohio State scored 18 points off 20 turnovers. The Horned Frogs have turned the ball over 16 times or more in the past five games.

Olivia Miles paced the Horned Frogs in scoring, as she has done many times this season, with 24 points. Sophomore center Clara Silva posted 12 points, her ninth double-digit scoring outing in 10 games, and senior guard Taylor Bigby added 14 points. Bigby started in place of injured guard Maddie Scherr.

Last Time Out: UCF

UCF lost a 78-43 decision at No. 14 Baylor on Wednesday. Center Khyala Ngodu notched her fourth double-double of the season, and third in four games, with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Guard Kristol Ayson added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

Leah Harmon, the Knights’ leading scorer this season, had seven points on 1-of-6 shooting. UCF shot 29% from the floor (14-of-47), including 2-of-7 from 3-point range.

UCF Knights center Khyala Ngodu (35) grabs a rebound over Cincinnati Bearcats player Clarissa Craig (42) in the second quarter of the NCAA basketball game between Cincinnati Bearcats and UCF Knights at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Scouting UCF

UCF started the season 8-3, but has dropped six of its last eight games since Big 12 play started. Wins over Arizona and Colorado have kept the Knights out of the conference basement, but their offense has sputtered against Big 12 competition. UCF has scored the second-least amount of points (399, 57 per game) during conference games, and its average scoring margin (-14.3) sits five points above Houston, which is winless in the Big 12. On defense, UCF surrenders 71 points per game to conference foes on 43% shooting.

Harmon, a sophomore transfer from Miami, is one of the conference’s top scorers, with 16.9 points per game during league play. She shoots 37% from the field and makes 1.4 3-pointers per game. UCF has made just 67 total 3-pointers this season on 27.7% shooting.

The Knights rely on Ngodu, a 6-3 junior, and 6-2 sophomore forward Mahogany Chandler-Roberts for their scoring inside the paint. Ngodu leads UCF in blocks (17), steals (22), and rebounds (122) to go with 10.9 points per game on 52.7% shooting. She is one of three players in the Big 12 to record a 20-point double-double during a conference game alongside Iowa State’s Audi Crooks and TCU’s Marta Suarez. Chandler-Roberts has emerged during conference play as another scoring option, scoring a career-high 14 points against Arizona and Kansas.

Up Next

TCU and UCF will tip off at 1 p.m. central time from Addition Financial Arena in Orlando. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be found on the radio at KTCU 88.7 FM.

Last Time Out: TCU

Last Time Out: UCF

Scouting UCF

Up Next

Recommended Links