TCU Women's Basketball Sneaks By Kansas

The Horned Frogs won their sixth straight Big 12 game despite three players fouling out.

TCU guard Veronica Sheffey swipes at the ball against Kansas. The Horned Frogs escaped with a 79-77 win. | Brian McLean - On Assignment Photo/KillerFrogs.com for TCU On SI

Home court magic remained alive for No. 12 TCU women’s basketball as it escaped with a 79-77 win over Kansas on Thursday inside Schollmaier Arena.  

The win extended the Horned Frogs' home-winning streak to 38 games, which dates back to Feb. 24, 2024, and is currently the best mark in the country. TCU (20-2 overall, 8-1 Big 12) remains in a tie for first place in the Big 12 standings with Baylor. 

“This time of the year, you just got to grind these out and find ways to win,” TCU head coach Mark Campbell said. “And at the halfway point, that gets us in a tie for first. And so this was a great battle. Wish we would execute a little bit better down the stretch.”

Kansas (13-9, 3-7) dropped to 13th in the league standings

Guard Olivia Miles paced TCU with 20 points, six assists and four rebounds. Forward Marta Suarez dropped 13 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds while guard Donovyn Hunter had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. 

Kansas freshman forward Jaliya Davis scored a game-high 29 points and teammate S’Mya Nichols added 24. 

Nichols hit a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to make the score 79-77. The Jayhawks got the ball back on the ensuing inbounds with 0.6 seconds remaining when TCU guard Veronica Sheffey was called for an offensive foul. Davis had a chance at a lay-up off a half-court heave, but could not get the shot off in time over TCU center Kennedy Basham. 

TCU held the lead throughout the entire game, but nearly lost it when Suarez and starting center Clara Silva, who had nine points, fouled out within 30 seconds of each other with about five minutes left and the Horned Frogs clinging to a 67-61 lead. Miles racked up five fouls at the 13-second mark.  It was the first time all season that multiple starters were disqualified from the same game. 

“I think it honestly helps us, especially as we get further into [the season] or closer to March, to understand what we need to do as players to step up when they're out,” Hunter said. “And also to realize we can't control what the refs call. So whoever it is on the bench or on the floor, all this just got to be ready to step up.”

TCU guard Olivia Miles looks for an open teammate against Kansas. | Brian McLean - On Assignment Photo/KillerFrogs.com for TCU On SI

With Silva and Suarez on the bench, the Jayhawks cut the lead to 67-65 with 3:58 left. Miles responded by converting a contested layup and the free throw. Then, TCU’s bench stepped up.

Freshman guard Clara Bielefeld nailed a 3-pointer for a six-point lead and Sheffey sank a 15-foot jumper to erase a pair of Jayhawks’ free throws. 

Kansas kept the game tight over the final minute, but Bielefeld made 1-of-2 free throws to give the Horned Frogs a five-point lead with five seconds left. Bielefeld finished with nine points on 3-of-3 shooting and grabbed three rebounds. 

”She worked so hard, she loves the game, she wants to be great,” Campbell said. “She has shot thousands of shots preparing for these opportunities and moments.”

Miles held a similar level of praise for her teammate’s performance. 

“Just proud of [Bielefeld] and proud of the way she fought,” Miles said. “And just coming in off the bench and playing the way she did is really impressive.”

Both teams were efficient on offense, shooting an identical 28-of-56 from the field. TCU nailed 10-of-20 3-pointers while Kansas made just 2-of-12. The Jayhawks outpaced the Horned Frogs in several offensive categories like points in the paint (46-30) and second chance points (14-7). TCU lost the rebounding battle 33-26 as well, but outdid Kansas in points off turnovers (22-11). Each team had 15 turnovers.

“Our team, they're growing,” Campbell said. “There's more people contributing and playing important roles. We need that as you get into February.”

TCU opened the game with a nearly flawless offensive performance, shooting 7-of-7 from the field (6-of-6 from 3-point range). Every starter scored during that stretch and Hunter nailed three triples. That hot start gave the Horned Frogs a 30-17 lead at the quarter break, but then the Jayhawks started rolling. Kansas outscored TCU 39-35 over the second and third quarters and made it a two-point game with 3:07 left in the third quarter. 

The Horned Frogs found some breathing room heading into the final frame as they picked up the defensive pressure. Hunter and Miles converted a trio of turnovers into six points while Suarez added a free throw off a technical foul call on Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider. Schneider received the technical while arguing an offensive foul call against Nichols.  

Suarez added a lay-up at the buzzer for a 65-56 advantage. That lead quickly disappeared as Kansas started the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run, setting up the last-second finish. 

“It's all adversity at the end of the day,” Miles said. “I was really proud of this group and the resiliency that they showed. At times we had [Bielefeld] out there guarding Davis, who had 29 and we're trusting her to get a stop at the end of the game. So, it just puts different people in different situations, high pressure situations where they have to kind of figure it out.”

Up Next

TCU will visit Lubbock for a top-25 battle against No. 21 Texas Tech (20-3, 7-3) on Sunday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Recommended Links

Powered by KillerFrogs.com