TCU Women’s Basketball advanced to its second consecutive Elite Eight on Saturday with a 79-69 win over number 10 seeded Virginia. The Horned Frogs trailed by one heading into halftime but outscored the Cavaliers by 13 points in the third quarter to take control of the game. TCU closed the game strong, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to close out Virginia and punch their ticket to the Elite Eight. The stars were the story for the Frogs as Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez either scored or assisted
on all 79 of TCU’s points. Suarez and Miles have been phenomenal all season, leading the Frogs to one of the best seasons in program history and a second consecutive Elite Eight appearance.
Marta Suarez set a TCU Women’s Basketball record for single game scoring in an NCAA Tournament game with a career high 33 points. Suarez tallied 10 rebounds, three assists and a steal in a well-rounded performance from the senior. Suarez flashed her versatility as a scorer, knocking down four of seven attempts from beyond the arc, making down five of six from the free throw line and consistently finishing in the paint off of nice post moves and offensive rebounds. Suarez’s defensive acumen is an underrated part of her game as her size and physicality can cause issues for opposing forwards. Olivia Miles showcased why she is projected to be a top three pick in this year’s WNBA draft with 28 points, ten rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Miles was incredibly efficient, making 11 of 14 attempts from the field for a shooting percentage of 78.5%. Miles played all 40 minutes as the primary ball handler for the TCU offense and had better than a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio in an incredible display of offensive talent.
Clara Silva played a solid game for the Frogs, scoring eight points, collecting eight rebounds, picking up one steal and blocking three shots. Silva’s progress on both ends of the floor this season has been fun to watch. She has become much more comfortable finishing in the paint and improved her footwork and timing defensively to block more shots without picking up as many fouls. Silva is shooting 59.5% from the field and averaging 1.8 blocks per game in her sophomore campaign and will be a big part of TCU basketball for years to come. Taylor Bigby’s ability as a floor spacer and versatile defender showed up again as she knocked down two threes and played solid defense on Saturday. Bigby is more than capable of knocking down open threes and has the ability to put the ball on the floor and attack the paint when defenders sell out to block her jump shot. Donovyn Hunter did not score against Virginia but had a huge impact on the game defensively, holding Virginia’s star guard Kymora Johnson to 31.8% shooting from the field. Hunter has had tough defensive assignments in two straight games, against Johnson and Washington’s Sayvia Sellers, and has been up to the test both times, serving as the lynchpin for the TCU defense.
The TCU offense was firing on all cylinders against Virginia as the Horned Frogs shot 52% from the field and 39% from three. The Frogs did a good job of converting on their free throws too, knocking down 83% of their attempts from the line as a team. TCU dominated on the interior, out scoring Virginia 46-28 in points in the paint. Limiting Virginia in the paint was a big reason why the Cavaliers did not reach 70 points despite shooting 44% from three as a team. The Cavaliers were knocking down their fair share of jump shots, but TCU’s defensive emphasis on limiting paint scoring limited the Virginia offense enough for the Frogs to come away with a win.
TCU will next take on the number one seeded South Carolina Gamecocks in the Elite Eight on Monday at 8:00 pm in Sacramento with a chance to advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history. Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks have been their usual dominant selves this season with a record of 34-3 on the year. South Carolina took down Southern by 69 points in the first round, USC by 40 points in the second round, and Oklahoma by 26 points in the Sweet Sixteen. Five players for the Gamecocks average double-digit points with forward Joyce Edwards leading the way at 19.6 points per game. One area the Frogs should look to exploit is attacking the offensive glass. In South Carolina’s three losses this season, opponents have averaged over 15 offensive rebounds per game. Points will be at a premium against the Gamecocks and extra possessions from offensive rebounds will be critical to help out TCU’s offense on Monday.
