Number 12-ranked TCU Women’s Basketball extended its winning streak to three games this Wednesday with a 72-50 victory on the road over Houston. TCU moved into sole possession of first place in the Big 12 as they look to win back-to-back regular season conference titles. The Horned Frogs have held two straight opponents to just 50 points, as the TCU defense has been rock solid as of late. The Frogs moved to 24-4 on the year and 12-3 in Big 12 play with the win and have a half game lead on second place in the Big 12 with three games left in the regular season.
Marta Suarez had another hot shooting game, knocking down five of ten attempts from three on her way to 21 points to lead all scorers. Suarez also tallied nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in a very well rounded game against the Cougars. This was Suarez’s fourth outing with at least 20 points in her last five games and she has been a big part of TCU’s run down the stretch to retake first place in the Big 12. Olivia Miles filled the stat sheet against Houston with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals on Wednesday. Miles scored in a multitude of ways, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc, getting to the line for four free throw attempts and finishing through traffic in the paint. Her versatility as a scorer and facilitator makes TCU a very tough team for opposing defenses to gameplan against. Veronica Sheffey was the third Frog in double figures with 11 points, two rebounds and a steal in 13 minutes of action off the bench. Sheffey has been a very reliable bench piece for TCU this season, providing a secondary scoring punch and reliable ball handling to the second unit. Donovyn Hunter had just seven points but she collected four rebounds, dished out four assists and had two steals in a great defensive effort against Houston. TCU ranks number 10 in the nation in opponent points per game and Hunter’s work as a perimeter defender is a big reason for TCU’s prowess on the defensive end. Clara Bielefeld has seen her minutes tick up down the stretch this season as she added four points, four rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes off the bench.
The Horned Frogs did not have their best game shooting wise, making just 39% of their attempts from the field, but still scored 72 points thanks to 11 made threes and 16 offensive rebounds as a team. TCU also more than doubled Houston’s points in the paint total with 30 compared to just 14 from the Cougars. The TCU defense had another outstanding performance, holding Houston to 23% shooting from the field and 13% shooting from three. The Frogs did a great job forcing turnovers as well with 11 steals as a team and 15 total turnovers by Houston. Two things the Frogs need to work on moving forward are defending without fouling, as the Cougars attempted 25 free throws as a team, and defensive rebounding, as the Cougars totaled 17 offensive rebounds.
The Frogs’ next game is at 3:00 pm on Sunday at home against the Iowa State Cyclones. The Cyclones were ranked in the top 15 earlier this season but have struggled defensively down the stretch, letting opposing teams average 65.1 points per game which ranked 198th in the nation. Iowa State does feature one of the premier interior scoring threats in the country in Audi Crooks who is averaging 25.4 points per game on 65.3% shooting from the field this season. Iowa State also has a bevy of three point shooters around her as Clara Silva will need to have a big game on Sunday to slow down Crooks and the Iowa State offense.
