TCU Wins First Round NCAA Game for Fourth Year in a Row

Sandora Irvin

Sandora Irvin scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Ebony Shaw added 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead TCU to a 70-57 win over Temple in the first round of the NCAA West Regional on Saturday in Philadelphia.

The sixth-seeded Frogs (25-6) will play No. 3 seed Georgia, a 78-53 winner over Liberty, on Monday. TCU has lost in the second round each of the last three seasons.

Ari Moore scored 16 points, and Candice Dupree had 14 points and nine rebounds for the 11th-seeded Owls (21-10). The Owls were knocked out in the first round for the second time in four years and have not won a tournament game since 1989.

Temple came close to pulling off the upset on its home court, leading 41-40 midway through the second half, before losing it for good on consecutive baskets by Tiffany Evans and Irvin.

Temple forced 15 turnovers off its trapping, fullcourt press, but TCU was usually breaking the press with long passes for easy layups. The Lady Frogs outscored Temple 40-26 in the paint.

Temple pulled to 49-48 after a layup by Kamesha Hariston, but TCU answered with an 11-4 run. The Frogs finally pushed the lead to double digits by sealing the win from the free-throw line.

TCU made 18 of 23 free throws; Temple went 12-for-18.

The Frogs shot 50 percent from the floor. Ebony went 6-for-10 and Irvin, the niece of former NFL star Michael Irvin, was 9-for-19.