GoFrogs: Medley Sets Scoring Mark, Frogs Win

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Medley Sets Scoring Mark, Frogs Win

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FORT WORTH, Texas — Senior All-America candidate Zahna Medley became the all-time leading scorer in TCU history as the Horned Frogs beat Kansas 55-52 on Senior Night in the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.

Medley’s free throw in the first quarter gave her 1,893 points to pass TCU great Sandora Irvin on the all-time scoring list. Medley finished the night with 21 points, including three three-point field goals and a perfect 10-of-10 night at the free throw line. She now has 1,911 points in her TCU career entering the conference tournament and postseason play.

“Everything is happening so fast and it’s so exciting,” said Medley following the game. “I’m just trying to cherish every moment. The alumni game, the three-point record and now the all-time leading scorer record is just phenomenal and it’s such a blessing. I just give praise to God for everything He has done for me. He’s really blessed my life and I’m just so thankful and grateful for this opportunity.”

The Frogs trailed by one at the half and for much of the opening half as TCU shot just 20.7 in the opening 20 minutes. The Jayhawks built a nine-point lead in the second quarter at 16-7 before Medley answered with a three-point field goal and Caitlin Diaz got a basket to cut it to four at 16-12. Diaz hit a three with 3:00 to go in the quarter to pull within two at 17-15 and eventually within one thanks to a AJ Alix basket with 1:07 to go at 19-18.

TCU and Kansas traded scores through much of the first five minutes of the third quarter before a 7-2 run by the Jayhawks gave them a 38-31 lead with 1:45 to go in the period. The Frogs came back out of a timeout with a three from Medley, a free throw from Alix and a basket from Jada Butts to close out the period and pull within one at 38-37.

Medley opened the fourth with a three-pointer and Diaz got a three-point play to go up 42-38 and extend a 12-0 run. It looked like the Frogs would pull away and secure the win easily before a late Kansas rally would eventually pull within one at 51-50 on a three-point play from Lauren Aldridge. Diaz answered with two free throws with 24 seconds remaining before Aldridge’s basket with 11 second left pulled them within 53-52. Kansas missed three free throws in the final 11 seconds and Medley made two with nine seconds left to help the Frogs secure the win.

Diaz had a career night, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds in her final regular season game in the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.

NOTES
• TCU won its last home game of the regular season for the 12th consecutive season, a streak that dates to the final home game of the 2005-06 season when the Frogs beat UNLV 82-77 in overtime.
• TCU is 4-0 on Senior Night since joining the Big 12 Conference.
• TCU was 4-2 in its final six regular season league games entering the 2016 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championships.
• TCU won its final three home league games this year, finishing the year 5-4 at home in league games.
• TCU finishes the regular season 12-5 at home, including a 6-5 mark in the inaugural games in the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.
• Five TCU seniors were honored in a postgame ceremony on senior night including Aiche Ndao, Zahna Medley, Caitlin Diaz, Veja Hamilton and Destynee Hives-McCray. TCU also honored senior student athletic trainer Michaela Crow, practice player Colton Purscell and graduate assistant Jenna Johnson.
• TCU used the starting lineup of Carol Willie, Zahna Medley, AJ Alix, Caitlin Diaz and Jada Butts for the second consecutive game.
• TCU overcame a nine-point deficit to win, marking the ninth time in the last two seasons that TCU has overcome an 8-point deficit to win a game, including the third this season. It is the seventh time it has happened in a Big 12 Conference game in the last two seasons.
• TCU had 19 points in the third quarter after having just 18 in the first half.
• TCU seniors combined for 35 points on the night.
• TCU shot just 20.7 percent in the opening half via a 6-of-29 clip, including a 2-of-12 mark in the from three in the opening half. • TCU converted on an impressive 19-of-25 free throw attempts in the game.

UP NEXT 
TCU, the #7 seed, will face Kansas, the #10 seed, on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. CT at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in the opening round of the 2016 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championships. It will mark the fourth time in the five seasons that TCU will open the conference tournament against a team it faced to close out the regular season having faced Kansas in 2012-13 and Texas in 2014-15 as members of the Big 12 Conference and Wyoming in 2011-12 as a member of the Mountain West Conference.

The game will be televised by Fox College Sports with Ron Thulin (play-by-play) and Brenda VanLengen (analyst) on the call. The game is available on the radio via KTCU 88.7 FM in the DFW Metroplex and through GoFrogs.com with Jeff Williams (play-by-play) on the call.


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