TCU Women's Survive a Scare, Punch Their Ticket to the Big 12 Championship

Marta Suarez took over when the Frogs needed it most, bailing out of a nightmarish first half to send No. 10 TCU to Sunday's title game in Kansas City

TCU head coach Mark Campbell speaks to media during Big 12 Women's Basketball Media Day at T-Mobile Center. | Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images

After clinching the regular-season Big 12 title, the TCU Horned Frogs were looking to go back-to-back double sweeps and win the Big 12 Women's Conference tournament as well.

After the double bye, and beginning their quest in the quarterfinals, with a dominant win over the BYU Cougars, they were playing an unlikely foe in the semi-finals of Kansas City. After a shocking start to the tournament, the Kansas State Wildcats would be red hot, taking down two top-10 seeds en route to the matchup with the Frogs.

Despite a closer game than they had hoped, the Frogs took care of business, beating the Wildcats 74-62 and securing their spot in the conference championship on Sunday afternoon.

Sluggish First Half

TCU Horned Frogs guard Olivia Miles (5) takes a shot ahead of BYU Cougars guard Kambree Barber (14) at T-Mobile Center. | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

The Horned Frogs did not look sharp coming out of the gate. As they did many times throughout the season, they had early problems establishing an offensive rhythm. As a team, they turned the ball over 12 times, including four by Marta Suarez. Eight of those turnovers came in the first quarter, despite only averaging 13 a game on the season.

Shooting from beyond the arc would be their saving grace in the game, as they shot 41.7 percent, going 5-12 from three-point range in the half. Even then, they entered halftime trailing by one, but Olivia Miles would already be at three fouls.

Second Half Efficiency

Marta Suarez at the free throw line for the TCU Horned Frogs | On Assignment, Brian McLean for KillerFrogs.com

With the whole season ahead of them, the Frogs came out swinging in the second half and had their best quarter of the game in the third. They would shoot 73.3 percent from the field, with all four misses coming on three-point attempts. Suarez would make up for the first-half turnovers, scoring 14 of the team's 24 points in the quarter.

Mark Campbell's squad would enter the fourth quarter with a 56-49 lead, and after a series of quick turnovers, both teams would struggle to score efficiently in the final frame. With under five minutes to go, the Frogs would go on a 9-0 run, fueled by a Donovayn Hunter and Miles three-pointer that would give the Frogs an 11-point lead with 2:42 to go.

Thanks to a Wildcats scoring drought that lasted for over four minutes from 6:14 left in the quarter, the Frogs would close out the game with relative ease, despite a rocky first five minutes.

TCU will now face the winner of Colorado vs. West Virginia on Sunday, March 8, at 4 p.m. CT, on ESPN+

The Forgs are one game away from history. Join the conversation with thousands of TCU fans at KillerFrogs.com, where Horned Frogs faithful have been sounding off on every big moment since 1997. Sunday can't get here fast enough.