TCU Women's Basketball: TCU/UNC Recap

Horned Frogs lose two in a row. The Tar Heels ran the score up.

TCU Women’s basketball lose 2 straight as they lost at the Maggie Dixon Classic. The TCU Horned Frogs dropped a non-conference home game to the North Carolina Tar Heels, 79-46, Sunday afternoon in the second game of a doubleheader in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Schollmaier Arena. Duke defeated Alabama 74-71 in the first game on Sunday. It was good to see the Horned Frogs back competing with the Maggie Dixon Classic back up running this year after last year it was shut down due to COVID. Coach Raegan Pebley Stated in her post game press conference, “It was good to have Duke, Alabama, and North Carolina come play and honor a great coach in Women’s College Basketball.”

TCU starters for this match up were Aahliyah Jackson, Tara Manumaleuga, Tavy Diggs, Lauren Heard, and Patricia Morris. Coach Pebley changed it up and had Manumaleuga and Diggs start for the first time this season. TCU and North Carolina met for just the second time in each program’s history. UNC now leads the all-time series 2-0 and is 1-0 against the Frogs in Fort Worth. This lost hurt the Frogs as TCU’s 30-game winning streak against non-conference opponents at home came to an end.

It was a tough from the jump for the Frogs as TCU made just three field goals in the opening frame and trailed by as many as 11 points. Then after things got ugly, the deficit proved to be too much and the Horned Frogs were playing catch-up for the remainder of the game. TCU got back within four points late in the second quarter, but the Tar Heels got to running and gunning on the fast break and opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run and never looked back. The Horned Frogs did not have a player score in double figures for the first time since Feb. 16, 2013, at Baylor. 

North Carolina's Deja Kelly dropped 25 points to lead both teams. It was a big homecoming for her as she a DFW native. Alyssa Ustby dropped 16 points and grabbed a career 15 rebounds. Coach Pebley was disappointed because she knows what her girls are capable of. She just wants them to play more free. Lets see how the Horned Frogs turn things around moving forward.

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