The No. 12 TCU women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to three games with a 72-50 road win over Houston on Wednesday. TCU becomes the only No. 1 player in the Big 12 Conference and they look to win back-to-back regular season titles. With TCU’s defense having been rock solid of late, the Horned Frogs have held opponents to 50 points in two straight games. With the win, the Frogs improved to 24-4 on the year and 12-3 in Big 12 play and moved within a half-game of second place in the Big 12 with three games remaining in the regular season.
Marta Suarez had another hot shooting performance. She hit 5 three-pointers in 10 attempts and scored 21 points, leading all scorers. Suarez also had nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in a very well-rounded game against the Cougars. It was the fourth time in the past five games that Suarez has scored at least 20 points, and she has played a major role in TCU’s return to first place in the Big 12 Conference. Olivia Miles had 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals against Houston on Wednesday. Myers scored in a variety of ways, knocking down three field goals from beyond the arc, making four free throws and finishing in the paint. Her versatility as a scorer and coordinator makes TCU a very tough team regardless of the opponent’s defense or game plan. Veronica Sheffey was the Frogs’ third player to score in double figures, finishing with 11 points, two rebounds and a steal in 13 minutes off the bench. Sheffield has been a very reliable backup player for TCU this season, providing secondary scoring opportunities and reliable ball-handling ability for the second unit. Donovyn Hunter only scored 7 points, but she added 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals against Houston’s defense. TCU ranks 10th nationally in opponent points per game, and Hunter’s performance as a perimeter defender is a big reason why TCU excels defensively. Clara Bielefeld’s playing time has continued to increase this season. She scored 4 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 22 minutes off the bench.
The Horned Frogs didn’t have their best shooting game of the game, shooting just 39% from the field, but still managed 72 points with 11 three-pointers and 16 offensive rebounds. TCU also more than doubled the Cougars’ 14 points in the paint to 30 points. TCU’s defense also had a great performance, allowing Houston to shoot 23% from the field and 13% from three-point range. The Frogs also did a good job of controlling turnovers, with 11 steals as a team and 15 total turnovers for Houston. Two things the Frogs will 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 grabbed 17 offensive rebounds in total.
The Frogs’ next game is Sunday at home against the Iowa State Cyclones at 3:00 p.m. The Cyclones were ranked in the top 15 earlier this season but have struggled defensively, allowing opponents to average 65.1 points per game, which ranked 198th nationally. Iowa State does have one of the nation’s top interior scoring threats in Audie Crooks, who is averaging 25.4 points per game on 65.3% shooting this season. Iowa State also has a bunch of 3-point shooters around them, and Clara Silva will need a big game on Sunday to slow down Crooks and Iowa State’s offense.