TCU Women's Basketball Takes Out Kansas State In Conference Opener

Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez combined for 49 points in the 22-point win.

Olivia Miles led No. 9 TCU's scoring attack with 29 points in a win over Kansas State. | Parker Neal - KillerFrogs.com for TCU On SI

Guard Olivia Miles dropped a game-high 29 points and forward Marta Suarez chipped in 20 points as No. 9 TCU women’s basketball (13-0 overall, 1-0 Big 12) opened its Big 12 Conference title defense with a 77-55 win over Kansas State (7-7, 0-1). 

“I thought we played 15 minutes of good basketball in the first half, settled in defensively,” TCU head coach Mark Campbell said. “I thought we had a great third quarter, really separated the game, and we were a little sloppy in the fourth, but just to get that first one under your belt, really proud of this team.”

Miles tacked on eight rebounds and four assists to her stat line. Suarez grabbed eight rebounds as well. Center Clara Silva notched her third career double-double and second straight with 14 points and 10 rebounds. 

TCU secured a win over one of two teams to beat them last season en route to the program’s first Big 12 title. This year’s active roster has just four players back from the championship squad, but Campbell said the focus this season is about more than being the defending champions.

“The really good teams and the really good programs are able to take people's best shot and still find a way to get it done,” Campbell said. “And, you know, that's a new position for our program to be in, to kind of have a bullseye. And every night you're going to get their best shot. We got to be able to bring it. … These players have been through the grind of major college basketball, and they understand that, and so I think they're excited for that challenge.”

Kansas State became the 13th opponent out of 13 to shoot under 40% this season against TCU. The Wildcats made 21-of-63 field goals (33.3%) while the Horned Frogs were 29-of-57 (50.9%). 

“There weren't many open looks,” Kansas State head coach Jeff Mittie said. “They really guarded our three point shot well. They crowded us. Their length was a problem for us on the perimeter, and that gave us trouble. And then I think we did get frustrated and had those lapses that young players tend to have.”

Guard Taryn Sides and forward Jenessa Cotton each scored 10 points to lead the Wildcats. 

TCU outscored Kansas State 44-26 inside the paint, utilizing the size advantage provided by the 6-7 SIlva and 6-4 Suarez. Miles found countless driving lanes for easy lay ups, too. 

“My job is to be aggressive for my team,” Miles said. “Aggressive passing, aggressive shooting, aggressive attacking the paint …. I felt where I could get to the rim early, and when I get into those grooves, it's kind of hard to stop me and not trying to [hype] myself up, but seriously, like, it's hard to stop when you're just full speed every time. Attack, attack, attack. So I've worked on that a lot.”

Marta Suarez scored 20 points in No. 9 TCU's Big 12 opener against Kansas State. | Parker Neal - killerfrogs.com for TCU On SI

TCU maintained an elite defensive presence without center Kennedy Basham. Basham, another 6-7 center and the conference leader in blocked shots per game (2.3), missed the contest with an ankle injury suffered during a collision during the Arkansas-Pine Bluff game on Dec. 16. 

The Horned Frogs started slow defensively as Kansas State shot 60% from the field for the first five minutes of the game. The Horned Frogs trailed 8-4 early in the first quarter, but Suarez and Miles each hit 3-pointers for a 10-8 advantage. The lead changed hands six more times before TCU went on a 15-2 run spanning the first and second quarters. 

Guard Maddie Scherr provided a spark defensively by blocking two shots in the second quarter. The Horned Frogs held the Wildcats to 21.4% (3-of-14) shooting in that frame. Scherr’s second block led to a transition 3-pointer from Suarez, which gave TCU a 29-17 lead with 6:01 left in the second quarter while the first block stopped a Kansas State fast break. 

“A lot of stuff [Maddie] does doesn't show up on the stat sheet,” Miles said. “I think I took a bad layup and they went down quickly, and she sprinted her butt back and slapped [the ball] off her leg. And it's just things like that that elevate our team, gets us extra possessions.”

Suarez added: “[Maddie] had a tremendous defense today, and it shows, the field goal percent that we hold them to.” 

The Wildcats trimmed the advantage to seven in about 90 seconds, but another offensive spurt, featuring six points from Miles, put TCU up 13 at halftime. 

TCU came out of the locker room on fire, outscoring Kansas State 20-11 in the third quarter and increasing the lead to 22 points as the frame ended. That aggressive approach helped put away the Wildcats and stretch the Horned Frogs’ home winning streak to 34 games. 

“I think the third quarter really defines the maturity of a team,” Campbell said. “Really good ball clubs come out at halftime; they don't have a letdown, and that's hard to do. And our group has been really consistent at that all year, that we've set the tone and we challenge them at halftime to do that again.”

Up Next

TCU will have some time off for the holidays before traveling to BYU. The Horned Frogs and Cougars will play on Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 8 p.m.