Nov. 28, 2009

Final Stats | Notes

FREEPORT, Bahamas--The first-ever meeting between TCU and Kansas proved to be a classic, as the Lady Frogs erased a six-point deficit in the game's final 2:21 during a 74-69 victory over the 18th-ranked Jayhawks in the teams' final game of the Junkanoo Jam on Grand Bahama Island.

Junior guard Emily Carter put the Frogs up for good by drilling a pair of free throws off a technical foul resulting from KU guard Danielle McCray calling a timeout when her team had none left with only 13.8 seconds remaining. TCU had trailed by as many as nine points with just under seven minutes left in the contest. The Frogs went 9-of-11 at the charity stripe in the game's closing minutes.

TCU, which earned its 15th victory all-time over a ranked opponent, improved to 4-2 on the season, while KU dropped to 3-2.

Trailing by two points, 67-65 with just 50 seconds left, senior guard Eboni Mangum drilled a clutch 3-pointer that put the Frogs up a point, but the lead would not last long. Kansas center Krysten Boogaard, who terrorized TCU inside all afternoon to the tune of an 8-for-8 day from the field, recorded a layup that regained the lead for her squad only 14 seconds later. The ensuing TCU possession, Mangum launched another trey that missed the mark, and a mad scramble under the basket ended with KU's McCray taking possession and the timeout her team did not have.

Following Carter's free throws off the technical foul, TCU retained possession and junior guard Helena Sverrisdottir was fouled before the Frogs were able to inbound the ball with 13.8 seconds left. She sank the front end of the 1-and-1 before missing the second shot, but TCU again kept possession as the Jayhawks knocked the ball out of bounds. Carter was then fouled and hit both free throws, and she added one more with one second left on the clock to provide the final margin of victory.

Carter led TCU in scoring for the second straight day with 16 points. She did the biggest damage at the free-throw line, going 5-of-6 in the game's final waning moments. Mangum also stepped up for TCU after being inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season, scoring 14 points, including her big trey with 50 seconds left in the contest. Sophomore guard Antoinette Thompson also earned a start, the first of her career, and scored six points to go with six rebounds.

Freshman Starr Crawford joined Carter and Mangum in double figures with 11 points, including six straight early in the second half that brought TCU back from a six-point deficit, then the largest of the game for the Frogs. Fellow freshman guard DeLisa Gross added nine points, while junior forward Rachel Rentschler also had nine.

TCU's late rally offset a big day in the paint by KU's Boogaard, who scored a career-high 21 points. The Frogs had no answer much of the day for Boogaard, although on several occasions they were able to send her to the free-throw line, where she went only 5-of-14. McCray, an All-American candidate for Kansas, totaled 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Forward Aishah Sutherland had 16 points and seven boards.

TCU controlled the action early in the first half, hitting their shots and keeping the Jayhawks off the boards. The Frogs owned an 18-11 advantage on the scoreboard with 10:33 remaining in the period and were outrebounding KU by a 10-4 margin just minutes earlier. Mangum and Rentschler, who scored eight points each in the opening period, helped drive the offensive attack.

Kansas eventually found its footing and had the Frogs on their heels in the final 10 minutes of the first half. KU regained the lead for the first time since the game's opening minutes and finished the period on a 22-11 surge stretching back to when TCU recorded its seven-point lead. The run gave the squad a four-point edge at intermission, 33-29.

The Jayhawks built their lead to six points before Crawford scored six consecutive points to tie the game at 44-44 with 15:08 remaining. KU then appeared on the verge of putting TCU away with an 18-8 surge that pushed the score to 64-55 at the 6:45 mark.

Mangum responded by kick starting TCU's final push with her first 3-pointer of the game. The Frogs would go on to outscore the Jayhawks 19-5 in the final 6:24.

With the big victory in hand, TCU will try to build momentum at home Tuesday, when it takes on Louisiana Monroe at 6:30 p.m. at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The game will be televised by The Mountain West Sports Network (The Mtn.).