Number 11 ranked TCU Women’s Basketball clinched a share of their second straight Big 12 regular season title with a win on the road on Wednesday over Cincinnati by a score of 83-70. It was not the prettiest win of the season for the Frogs who trailed by six points at halftime, but TCU found a way to win thanks to an explosive offensive performance in the second half. After managing just 23 points the entire first half, the Horned Frogs scored 35 points in the third quarter and 25 points in the fourth
quarter to storm back for a 13 point win. TCU moved to 14-3 in Big 12 play and 26-4 on the season with the win and can clinch the outright Big 12 regular season title with a win against Baylor on Sunday.
Marta Suarez led all scorers with a season high 32 points along with nine rebounds, three assists and four steals. Suarez again flashed her ability to score in a variety of ways, knocking down four shots from beyond the arc, flashing solid footwork in the post, and grabbing five offensive rebounds leading to second chance points at the rim. Suarez shot 60% from the field, 50% from three and 80% from the free throw line in what was a complete offensive showcase from the senior forward. Donovyn Hunter performed well on both ends of the floor with 16 points and two rebounds along with solid work as an on-ball defender. Hunter caught fire towards the end of the regular season last year, helping TCU make a deep postseason run and this game was an encouraging sign that the same trend could happen again. Olivia Miles filled up the stat sheet against the Bearcats, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals. The Cincinnati defense keyed in on Miles when she had the ball in her hands and she did a great job of recognizing this and finding open teammates for quality shots. Kennedy Basham played over 20 minutes off the bench for the second straight game and tallied nine points, ten rebounds, and four blocks. Basham’s physicality and timing as a shot blocker make her an excellent paint defender and an important piece for TCU heading into the postseason.
TCU shot the ball decently well against Cincinnati, shooting 45% of its shots from the field and 34% of its shots from three. While the Horned Frogs should have knocked down a few more of their open looks from three, it is an encouraging sign for Frog fans that TCU can score over 80 points without shooting the lights out from beyond the arc. TCU continues to do a good job limiting turnovers after struggling with them for a stretch of games earlier in the season, totaling just nine against the Bearcats compared to 14 assists as a team. The Frogs excelled on the offensive boards with 14 as a team. TCU has some room to improve in defensive rebounding as Cincinnati won the offensive rebounding battle with 17 as a team.
When Cincinnati was not at the free throw line, the Bearcats struggled to score efficiently, shooting just 35% from the field and 37% from three. However, TCU needs to do a better job of defending without fouling moving forward as Cincinnati attempted 28 free throws as a team. TCU defenders were excellent in their rotations, cutting off passing lanes and holding the Bearcats to just ten assists as a team.
One of the most important regular season games in program history will take place on Sunday at 3:00 pm as ESPN’s College Gameday will be in Fort Worth to cover the rivalry game against number 18 ranked Baylor. Not only is a second consecutive Big 12 regular season title on the line, but this is the first time TCU has hosted College Gameday for a men’s or women’s basketball game. College Gameday will run from 10:00-11:00 am and admission is free. Taliah Scott is a player to watch from Baylor as she is averaging over 20 points per game and led the Bears in scoring the last time the two teams met. Olivia Miles dropped a career high 40 points in her last game against Baylor and Frog fans can expect more fireworks with a championship on the line on Sunday.
