TCU Women's Basketball: Prince Returns, Helps Frogs Get Past Houston
Sedona Prince had a few nerves when she stepped onto the basketball court for the first time since injuring a finger on Jan. 3.
Those nerves soon disappeared as Prince scored a game-high 15 points, snagged six rebounds, and blocked two shots in TCU’s 59-49 win over Houston. The 49 points allowed was one point shy of TCU’s program record of 48, set during the 2013-14 season.
Sedona Prince returned to action after being out for several weeks with an injury. She scored a game-high 15 points in TCU's win over Houston.
Brian McLean/KillerFrogs
“It felt great,” Prince said of being back on the court. “I really missed playing with my girls so much. I just missed being out there, competing, running around, playing the sport that I love.”
The Horned Frogs are now riding a three-game conference winning streak, the longest such streak since the 2019-20 season.
TCU had three teammates join Prince in double-digit scoring. Guard Sydney Harris put up 13 points as did guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu. Emma-Nnopu added 12 rebounds and a block. Guard Madison Conner chipped in 11 points.
With Prince back in the lineup, the Horned Frogs used more pick-and-roll action on offense like earlier in the season. That opened up the floor for shooters like Harris, Conner, and Emma-Nnopu.
“[Sedona]’s just a presence on defense, on offense,” Emma-Nnopu said. “Even toward the end of the game where it was getting close, there wasn’t any stress in terms of what happens.”
Guards N’Yah Boyd and Laila Blair scored 13 and 14 points respectively to pace Houston. TCU held Houston to 26.7% shooting from the field, including 22% from three-point range, and won the rebounding battle, 49-26.
“This is as good a defensive effort as we’ve played for 40 minutes,” TCU head coach Mark Campbell said. “Could not be prouder. It was a physical game, a tough game. [Houston] gets after you.”
The Horned Frogs outscored the Cougars 21-10 in the second quarter and led by 18 points less than a minute into the third quarter. This gave TCU the cushion it needed when Houston took control offensively in the second half.
The Cougars made it a 10-point game with 3:34 left in the third quarter. Prince and Emma-Nnopu gave the Horned Frogs a little breathing room heading into the final frame.
Another dry spell on offense coupled with turnovers caused by Houston’s full court press cut the TCU lead to seven with 2:04 left in the game. Houston ultimately scored 19 points off 21 turnovers and outscored TCU 32-26 in the second half.
“Huge credit to Houston. They pressure you, they’re in every passing lane,” Campbell said. “They make you really uncomfortable. Usually, you have 21 turnovers it’s hard to win the ball game. To have 21 but we win by double digits is because of our defense.”
Conner and Harris nailed threes on consecutive possessions to secure the win. The Horned Frogs have hit 263 three-pointers (and counting) this season, flying past the program’s previous single-season record of 253.
TCU started slow offensively, trailing Houston 4-1 with 6:41 left in the first quarter. A 9-0 run to close out the quarter helped turn the tide. Conner nailed a pair of free throws, and Harris dropped in a long two-point shot and three-pointer to get things rolling.
The momentum continued into the second quarter as the Horned Frogs busted out a 10-0 scoring spurt for a 22-7 lead. Prince hit a layup cap off the run about midway through the quarter. It was Prince’s first made field goal of the game. She then proceeded to score 10 of TCU’s next 11 points. TCU took a 33-17 advantage into halftime.
With the win, the Horned Frogs are in a 4-way tie for 9th place in the Big 12 conference standings with BYU, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati. TCU has victories over BYU and Cincinnati and plays Texas Tech on Saturday. The Red Raiders won the first matchup in Lubbock.
A win this weekend would help the Horned Frogs stay in contention for a top-10 seed and first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament, which starts March 7.
“We want to win,” Prince said. “We want to have momentum going into the Big 12 Tournament. [We want to] play our hardest, learn and grow, and take every game like it’s a learning lesson. Just be the best team we can be.”
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