Number 10 ranked TCU Women’s Basketball extended their winning streak to four games this Saturday with a 78-62 win over Arizona in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs trailed by two points heading into halftime, but outscored the Wildcats 50-32 over the final 20 minutes to secure the win. After a tough offensive outing in their last game against West Virginia, the Frogs found their form again as five players scored in double figures for TCU against Arizona. TCU moved to 18-1 on the season and 6-1 in Big
12 play with the win, moving into a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Texas Tech and Baylor.
Olivia Miles led TCU in scoring and assists with 16 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Miles did not have her best shooting game but adapted and looked to get to the free throw line more. Miles led all players in free throw attempts, making seven of seven attempts from the line. Clara Silva recorded her fifth double-double as a Frog with 15 points, 11 rebounds, one steal and one block. Silva was the most efficient scoring option for the Horned Frogs against Arizona as she knocked down seven of ten shots from the field. Donovyn Hunter was the third TCU player in double figures, tallying 12 points, four assists, one rebound and two steals. Starting guard Maddie Scherr left the game in the second quarter with an apparent back injury and did not return, though she did return to the bench to watch the rest of the game. Veronica Sheffey saw a season high 27 minutes of action in Scherr’s absence and continued her solid stretch of play with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and just one turnover. Sheffey has shown a solid ability to provide offensive spark off the bench and should be a more than capable starter if Scherr misses extended time with injury. Marta Suarez also scored in double figures with ten points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Suarez had a quieter shooting night but did a good job getting to the free throw line and converting, making six of six attempts from the line. Taylor Bigby had an impactful 25 minutes of work off the bench with nine points, six rebounds and one steal. Her willingness to battle for rebounds and on defense adds an important element of toughness to this team when she is on the floor.
TCU scored nearly 80 points against the Wildcats despite a tough three point shooting game as the Horned Frogs made just 24% of their attempts from deep. One area TCU excelled in was from the free throw line. The Frogs recognized that the three point shot was not falling early on, and made a conscious effort to get to the free throw line as TCU made 19 of 21 attempts from the line. TCU also outscored Arizona in points in the paint by a margin of 34-26. TCU also led in offensive rebounding, grabbing 11 offensive boards compared to just three for Arizona. However, TCU once again struggled with turnovers, tallying 17 as a team while recording just 16 assists. Arizona scored 17 points off of those turnovers and the Wildcats were able to hang around longer because of those mistakes.
TCU played well on the defensive end of the floor against Arizona, especially in the turnover department as the Wildcats totaled 16 as a team. The Frogs did a great job keeping the Wildcats off the free throw line as Arizona attempted just 12 as a team all game. Rebounding was another area of strength for TCU, as the Horned Frogs collected 41 rebounds compared to just 28 for Arizona.
The Horned Frogs have a big opportunity for a resume building win in their next game as they will travel to New Jersey for the Coretta Scott King Classic where they will face off against number 14 ranked Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 16-2 so far this season with their only losses coming against top five ranked teams. Guard Jaloni Cambridge is the leading scorer on a prolific offense, averaging 21.8 points per game on over 50% shooting from the field. The TCU defense will need to play to its ceiling against an electric Ohio State team.
