Quarterfinals: No. 14 TCU 63, BYU 46
No. 14 TCU began the defense of their Big 12 conference tournament title with a win over BYU last Friday. TCU started fast, jumping out to a 16 point lead after the first quarter and never trailed in the game. While the Frogs did not have their cleanest offensive performance, TCU picked up a win in dominant fashion over a BYU team that had won their last five games heading into Friday’s matchup.
Marta Suarez continued her hot scoring streak, leading the Frogs in scoring with 17 points along with eight rebounds, two assists and three steals. Olivia Miles recorded a double-double against the Cougars with ten points, ten rebounds, six assists and one steal. Miles struggled to knock down jump shots, but found other ways to contribute with high effort on the defensive glass and smart passes to set up teammates.
Taylor Bigby shot the ball well against the Cougars, knocking down three of six attempts from deep and four of eight shots from the field on her way to 13 points. Clara Silva was a big part of TCU’s defensive showing, recording eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Kennedy Basham tallied four blocks and three offensive rebounds to go along with five points. Sheffey racked up seven points, two rebounds and four steals, giving TCU a much needed spark in a low scoring game.
TCU struggled from the field against the Cougars, making just 37% of their attempts from the field and 30% of their shots from three as a team. One thing TCU did very well was drawing contact and getting to the free throw line, making 17 of 18 attempts from the charity stripe. This was one of TCU’s best defensive outings of the season as the Frogs held BYU to just 27% shooting from the field and 18% shooting from three. While TCU needs to find more success on the offensive end, the ability to win convincingly despite shooting woes shows how high the ceiling is for TCU this postseason.
Semifinals: No. 14 TCU 74, Kansas State 62
The Horned Frogs then went on to face Kansas State in the semifinals on Saturday and took down the Wildcats. Kansas State had won three straight games coming into the matchup against the Frogs and led by one point at halftime, but TCU did well to keep its composure and pick up the win behind a strong second half.
Marta Suarez again led the Frogs in scoring with 22 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and three steals. This was Suarez’s third double-double in the last five games as she continued her strong stretch of play. Olivia Miles shot the ball much better against the Wildcats, shooting 7-15 from the field on her way to 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block.
Taylor Bigby scored in double figures for the third consecutive game with ten points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Clara Silva had another efficient and impactful game, shooting 100% from the field and tallying eight points, ten rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Veronica Sheffey was effective in her 20 minutes of action off the bench, providing ten points and two rebounds on 50% shooting from the field.
TCU had a much more efficient game against Kansas State, shooting 50% from the field and 39% from three as a team. The Frogs dominated the Wildcats on the boards, winning the rebounding battle by a margin of 45-27. TCU did struggle with turnovers against Kansas State with 16 as a team leading to 13 points off of turnovers for the Wildcats.
The Frogs did a good job contesting jump shots as Kansas State shot just 37% from the field and 27% from three. The Wildcats did find success in the paint against TCU, scoring 34 of their 62 points from the paint. While TCU picked up a comfortable win and looked like the better team, there were a few areas for improvement that popped up against Kansas State.
Finals: No. 12 West Virginia 62, No. 14 TCU 53
No. 12 West Virginia waited for TCU in the championship game and unfortunately for Frog fans, TCU was not able to pick up its third victory over West Virginia this season as the Mountaineers won. The Frogs struggled mightily on the offensive end as 53 points was their second lowest point total all season. Foul trouble limited TCU’s two best players in Suarez and Miles and the Frogs struggled to knock down the open shots they saw on offense.
Olivia Miles battled her way to 17 points, one rebound, four assists and two steals despite having to play less aggressively after picking up her fourth foul early in the second half. Marta Suarez was the second Frog in double figures with 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal. While Donovyn Hunter did not have the best game on the offensive end of the floor, Hunter was excellent on defense and played all 40 minutes of the game for the second straight game.
TCU did not have a good shooting game, making just 33% of their shots from the field and 26% of their shots from three. While bad shooting games will happen, the Frogs have to make better shot selections moving forward, as they attempted 31 shots from beyond the arc despite struggling to make threes early in the game.
TCU’s effort on defense did not waver despite the tough game offensively as the Frogs held West Virginia to 40% shooting from the field and 33% shooting from three. The Frogs also battled for extra possessions on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive rebounds as a team. While this game was a disappointing result for the Frogs, TCU should be more than motivated heading into the NCAA Tournament and has the talent to make a historic run in March Madness.
