TCU
Dayton
TCU Unable to Hold Back Dayton in NCAA First Round
3/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 20, 2010
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| Highlights 
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—Junior Helena Sverrisdottir hit a pair of clutch free throws with 17 second seconds remaining to give ninth-seeded TCU a one-point lead, but a Dayton basket with just over a second left ended the Horned Frogs' season Saturday during a 67-66 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Thompson-Boling Arena.
TCU's season ended with a 22-9 overall record. No. 8 seed Dayton improved to 25-7 and will advance to the second round for a Monday matchup with Tennessee, the top seed in the Memphis Regional.
Sverrisdottir was fouled with 17.0 seconds left on the clock by UD's Casey Nance and drained both attempts to give TCU a 66-65 advantage, but the lead would not last.
Forward Kristen Daugherty missed a jumper on the ensuing Dayton possession with only five seconds remaining, but guard Patrice Lalor tracked down the offensive board and dished to Britanny Wilson, who converted a contested layup with only 0:01.1 left that turned out to be the game winner.
TCU took an 18-point lead with 13:07 left on a pair of Sverrisdottir free throws before Dayton rallied by scoring 33 of the game's final 45 points. Four 3-pointers in a four-and-one-half minute span following Sverrisdottir's points quickly cut into the lead, and a basket by UD forward Kendel Ross with 7:04 left brought the Flyers to within four points, 54-50.
Junior Emily Carter responded with a 3-pointer for TCU, and a later trey by freshman DeLisa Gross with 4:15 remaining put the Frogs up by six, 64-58. The bucket would be TCU's last, as Dayton reeled off seven straight points to take a one-point lead in the final minute prior to Sverrisdottir's late free throws.
Sverrisdottir posted a double-double to lead TCU with 17 points and a career-best-tying 13 rebounds. She added six assists and went 9-of-10 at the charity stripe. Four other Frogs scored in double figures in Carter (11), seniors TK LaFleur (11) and Eboni Mangum (11) and freshman Starr Crawford (10). LaFleur hit each of her first five field-goal attempts before finishing 5-of-10 from the field, while Mangum drilled three consecutive 3-pointers in the second half to help TCU build its 18-point lead. Crawford finished with nine boards.
Ross led Dayton with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Daugherty totaled 10 points.
TCU jumped out to a double-digit lead early in the contest after the Flyers opened the game on a 7-2 run. The Frogs held Dayton scoreless for nearly six full minutes while putting together a 16-0 spurt to take the lead. The squad had trouble matching up with TCU's quickness early, missing seven straight shots and totaled five turnovers as the Frogs moved out to an 18-7 lead just under seven minutes into the contest.
The Flyers were held to only 27.6 percent shooting overall in the first half, while committing five more turnovers than TCU (9-4). The squad responded in the second half by making an even 50.0 percent, while TCU was only able to connect at a 25.7-percent rate. The Frogs went only 22-of-73 from the field for the game (30.1 percent).
Players Mentioned
