FORT WORTH, Texas – ULM kept it close early, but could not overcome a hot-shooting TCU squad as the Warhawks dropped their season opener, 86-47, at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Saturday evening.
The Warhawks drop to 0-1 to begin the season, while the Horned Frogs improve to 1-0. TCU also improves to 4-1 all-time against ULM, with the Warhawks' lone victory coming in a 102-66 triumph on Jan. 17, 1981.
Ashleigh Simmons led ULM in scoring with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting; the senior also hauled in six rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Sharnice Brooks also had a solid game, turning in eight points and six rebounds in just 17 minutes on the court.
Jasmine Taylor notched a career-high four assists as every player on the roster saw at least three minutes of playing time. All four newcomers; Jade Wharton, Aleesha Coulter, Whitney Wilson and Journee Beard; were able to get their first action as Warhawks.
ULM was held to an 18-of-54 (33.3 percent) mark from the field and connected on 25 percent (4-of-16) of their shots from behind the arc. The Warhawks also went 7-of-19 (36.8 percent) from the charity stripe in the contest.
Zahna Medley led all scorers with 24 points and had a double-double with 10 assists. Natalie Ventress added 12 points for TCU, and Latricia Lovings and Donielle Breaux chipped in 11 apiece.
TCU knocked down 29-of-56 (51.8 percent) attempts from the field, including 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) on three-pointers. Solid shooting from the free-throw line (19-of-29, 65.5 percent) also buoyed the Horned Frogs.
The Warhawks jumped on top early courtesy of an Alexar Tugler three-pointer on their opening possession, but TCU responded to take its first lead of the night at the 16:50 mark on a layup by Veja Hamilton.
That layup was part of a 17-4 run that the Horned Frogs used to build their first double-digit lead of the night. Breaux keyed the TCU run with a pair of layups, including the final basket of the run that gave her squad a 17-7 advantage with 13:11 remaining in the half.
ULM fought back with a short burst of its own, slashing the lead to just five on a big shot from behind the arc by Wharton, her first points as a member of the Warhawks. Elexar Tugler also connected on a three-pointer to begin the run which left TCU clinging to a slim 22-17 lead at the 9:19 mark.
In what was quickly becoming a game of runs, the Horned Frogs answered with a 10-1 spurt over the next two minutes to rebuild their double-digit advantage. The Warhawks clawed back to within 11 after Jasmine Shaw's triple at the 7:24 mark, but that would be the closest that the squad could get before the end of the first half. TCU entered the break with a 47-28 advantage over ULM.
The second half played out much the same as the first. ULM came out and largely kept TCU's advantage around 20 for the first six minutes of the half, but an 8-0 run by the Horned Frogs spanning three minutes gave them a 63-34 lead with 10:45 remaining.
The Warhawks fought hard until the end, but could not close the gap to any fewer than 30 after a pair of free throws by Medley at the 9:34 mark.
ULM will be back in action on Monday night as the Warhawks welcome Louisiana College to Fant-Ewing Coliseum for their home opener of the 2013-14 season. It will be the first non-exhibition meeting between the two foes since Dec. 6, 1997, when the Wildcats defeated ULM, 80-72, in Monroe.
