Number 17 ranked TCU women’s basketball got back into the win column last Wednesday with a dominant 90-45 win over Houston in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs were the better team in every aspect of the game, jumping out to a five point lead after the first quarter and out scoring the Cougars by 26 points in the second half. TCU had two starters score at least 24 points while Houston’s entire starting five was held to single digit points. The Horned Frogs moved to 9-2 in Big 12 play and 21-3 overall
with the win.
Olivia Miles led the Horned Frogs in scoring with an excellent 25 point, five rebound, six assist and four steal outing against Houston. Miles knocked down nine of 11 attempts from the field and all six of her free throw attempts, flashing her devastating efficient play. Marta Suarez recorded her second straight double-double with 24 points, ten rebounds and one steal. Suarez appears to have found her scoring ability again, shooting 60% from three and 58.8% from the field against the Cougars. When Suarez is shooting the ball well, she and Olivia Miles form one of the most prolific scoring duos in the country. If TCU makes a deep run into March Madness this year, Suarez will undoubtedly have a big role. Donovyn Hunter had a very hot shooting night, making five of five attempts from the field and two of two attempts from three on her way to 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and four steals. Hunter continues to be a two way force for the Frogs as the primary on-ball defender and a reliable secondary scorer and ball handler. Clara Silva had a strong showing against Houston with seven points, eight rebounds, three assists and one steal. Though Silva did not record a block, her presence in the paint was a big reason why Houston struggled offensively against TCU. Clara Bielefeld showed off the versatility that has the TCU coaching staff excited about her future. Bielefeld scored just three points but collected six rebounds, dished out two assists and blocked two shots in 18 minutes of playing time. Bielefeld’s length as a guard is a real asset defensively, on the boards, and offensively as it gives her the ability to shoot over smaller defenders.
TCU had no issues scoring against the Houston defense as they put up 90 points on 58% shooting from the field and 30% shooting from three point range. The Horned Frogs did an excellent job getting to the free throw line as they attempted 21 as a team with at least one free throw attempt from all five starters. After struggling with ball movement in their last game against Texas Tech, the Frogs did a much better job sharing the ball against Houston with 19 assists as a team. TCU dominated in rebounding with 46 rebounds as a team compared to just 22 from Houston. The Frogs made life very difficult on the Houston offense as the Cougars shot 30% from the field and 17% from three. TCU forced 16 Houston turnovers and allowed just one player to reach double-digit points. Additionally, the Horned Frogs led in points in the paint by a margin of 54-20 and fast break points by a margin of 22-5. The Frogs were clearly the better team in all facets of the game on Wednesday.
The Horned Frogs would go on to face off against Colorado in Boulder on Sunday for their next game.
