Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In its regular-season finale, the West Virginia University women's basketball team (17-12, 7-11 Big 12) fell to TCU, 77-63, on Saturday evening, at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.
 
Redshirt senior guard Tynice Martin paced the Mountaineers' scoring efforts, collecting 17 points in the final home game of her WVU career. Sophomore forward Kari Niblack also scored in double figures in the loss, adding 15 points. On the glass, junior center Blessing Ejiofor and freshman forward Esmery Martinez hauled in eight rebounds apiece, while sophomore guard Madisen Smith dished out four assists.
 
With her one block against the Horned Frogs, Niblack eclipsed 100 swats in her career.
 
"Normally, we're not terrible on defense. We were terrible tonight," WVU coach Mike Carey said. "Slow, it started at shoot around, slow, terrible. That's where it started. I told my assistants after shoot around, 'It's going to be a long game.' You just see it. (When) you've been in the business this long, you can see if they're ready or not ready. They're nowhere ready for this game, especially a team that plays six seniors and starts four seniors. We weren't ready."
 
Although the Mountaineers controlled the opening tip, TCU opened up with 5-0 lead to begin the contest. Martin got WVU on the board with a jumper, while Niblack followed with a layup. Sophomore guard Madisen Smith earned WVU's first trey of the evening, bring WVU within two at 9-7. A layup from Martin tied the game at 11-11, but the Horned Frogs went on a 9-2 run, forcing West Virginia to call a timeout. Out of the break, freshman guard Kirsten Deans connected on 1-of-2 at the free-throw line, and freshman forward Esmery Martinez tacked on a layup just before the end of the first quarter, making the score 23-16.
 
The Mountaineers were quiet to open the second, but Martinez ended the drought with a layup, but TCU continued to add to its lead, as the game moved to 35-18. Junior center Blessing Ejiofor also added a layup for the Mountaineers, before Martin netted a jumper and redshirt junior guard Kysre Gondrezick added one at the line. Smith connected on her second trey of the contest to cut into TCU's double-digit advantage. Following the triple, WVU scored two more baskets from Martin. The Horned Frogs closed the half with a layup, taking a 41-30 lead into the locker room.
 
TCU started the second half, scoring six unanswered points, before Niblack opened the Mountaineers' scoring in the second half with a layup, followed by another from Martin. Smith added a point at the free-throw line, while Gondrezick connected on a triple, putting the score at 55-38. Redshirt freshman Rochelle Norris got on the scoreboard with a pair of layups, but TCU continued to add buckets on the other end. Deans then grabbed a steal for WVU, dishing it to Niblack for a bucket and a foul. However, TCU added four unanswered points to end the third, taking a 62-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Martin netted a mid-range jumper to give the Mountaineers their first points of the final frame, while Niblack added a pair of her own just before the six-minute mark. Next, Gondrezick buried her second 3-pointer of the day, followed by another triple from Martin. Deans collected another steal, and Martinez converted the basket, bringing the Mountaineers within 10, at 71-61. However, the Horned Frogs' offensive spark didn't let up, as WVU fell, 77-63.
 
West Virgina concluded the game shooting 38 percent (27-of-71) from the field and 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from 3-point range. The Mountaineers outscored TCU in bench points (20-16) and second-chance points (20-7) while adding five blocks on the day.
 
The Horned Frogs finished the day shooting 29-of-63 (46 percent) from the floor and 6-of-20 (30 percent) beyond the arc. TCU topped WVU in nearly every category, including rebounds (44-41), turnovers (15-14) and points in the paint (38-32).
 
West Virginia's seeding for the 2020 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship will be announced later this week. The Mountaineers travel to this year's tournament at Municipal Auditorium, in Kansas City, Missouri, from March 12-15.