Turnovers Haunt TCU in 87-77 Overtime Loss to Utah

The Frogs suffered their first loss of the season

TCU guard Olive Miles (5) drives toward the basket against the Utah Utes on Saturday, January 3, 2025. | TCU Women's Basketball on X

Mark Campbell and the TCU Horned Frogs leave Salt Lake City disappointed after falling 87-77 in overtime to the Utah Utes on Saturday night.

It was a neck-and-neck first quarter, but a dominant one by Oliva Miles and Marta Suarez, who each dropped eight points in the opening 10 minutes. Miles continued her hot hand into the second quarter, where the TCU (14-1, 2-1 Big 12) stretched its lead to 39-34 at the end of the half.

But the Utes came out of the half firing on all cylinders. Utah (11-4, 2-1 Big 12) forced five turnovers and capitalized on TCU’s sloppy play. Reese Ross tallied 10 points in the third quarter as the Utes outscored the Frogs 18-11.

The conference foes continued to battle it out in the fourth quarter when Suarez knocked down a three-pointer to pull the game to within one. After a defensive stop, Suarez found Donovan Hunter in the corner, who nailed a go-ahead three to give the Frogs a 66-64 lead. After Miles made it a three-point game after knocking down a free throw, Lani White hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 67 and force overtime.

The Utes were unstoppable in overtime. They led by as much as seven as the Frogs looked to inch their way back.

Miles led TCU in scoring with 31 points. She has now scored in double-figures in all 15 games this season and posted her first 30-point game of the campaign. Suarez shot 50% from the field and dropped a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Donovyn Hunter (11) and Clara Silva (10) also joined as the other Horned Frogs to score in double-figures.

TCU shot just 37% from the field compared to Utah’s 48% shooting. The Utes knocked down 13 of 23 (57%) from three-point range and scored 17 points off of 14 TCU turnovers. Saturday’s loss marks their first conference road loss since falling to Kansas State on February 5, 2025.

What’s Next for the Horned Frogs?

TCU will now return to the state of Texas ahead of its midweek clash against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (13-3, 2-1 Big 12), who dominated the Houston Cougars to a 31-point win on Saturday. 

The Horned Frogs and Cowgirls will face off on Wednesday, January 7, from Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+ with the radio broadcast on KTCU 88.7 The Choice.