Number 17 ranked TCU Women’s Basketball picked up a huge win this Thursday on the road over number 12 ranked Baylor by a score of 83-67. Baylor was at the top of the Big 12 standings coming into the game and the Frogs drew within a half a game of first place with the win thanks in large part to a memorable performance by star point guard Olivia Miles. The Horned Frogs had not been playing their best basketball coming into the matchup but were firing on all cylinders to get back into the win column against their biggest rival. TCU moved to 22-4 on the season and 10-3 in Big 12 play with the win and the Frogs are in a great position to make a run down the stretch of the season to defend their Big 12 title.
Olivia Miles had arguably the best game of her college career against the Bears, scoring a career high 40 points along with six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. Miles was on fire from three point range, knocking down 10 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc. Miles’s third quarter performance is arguably the best quarter of basketball in program history as she knocked down seven threes and scored 23 points in 10 minutes. When Miles transferred to TCU, she was largely viewed as a pass first player and while she still averages over six assists per game, her scoring ability has won numerous games for TCU this season. Miles’s confidence has soared under Mark Campbell’s pick-and-roll heavy system as she is averaging over five points per game more this season than she did last year. This was an all time outing from Olivia Miles and factoring in that she did it on the road against TCU’s biggest rival and a ranked opponent makes it even more special.
Marta Suarez also deserves a ton of credit for the win as she scored a season high 27 points and racked up six rebounds, four assists and one steal. Suarez was devastatingly efficient, shooting 55.5% from the field, 75% from beyond the arc and 100% from the free throw line. Suarez has scored over 20 points in three straight games and she took full advantage when the Baylor defense started to key in on Miles. Miles and Suarez combined for 67 points by themselves which, for those keeping track at home, was as many points as Baylor scored as a team. It was an incredible game from TCU’s two best players as the stars took control for the Frogs and secured a big time win.
Donovyn Hunter had a solid game against the Bears as well with six points, five rebounds and one steal. Hunter knocked down two of two attempts from beyond the arc and was very good on the defensive end of the floor.
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Though the scoring for TCU was largely a two player effort, the Frogs rebounded and defended well across the board. TCU won the rebounding battle 39-31 and collected seven offensive rebounds compared to just three from Baylor. The Horned Frogs did a good job of running shooters off the three point line as Baylor shot just 28% from beyond the arc. TCU limited turnovers, played sound defense, led for 97% of the game and picked up a convincing win in a very important game.
TCU has a huge opportunity this Sunday night, the Frogs are set to take on the number 19 ranked, Big 12 leading West Virginia Mountaineers at 7:00 pm in Fort Worth. The Mountaineers are playing very good basketball and enter Sunday’s matchup on a four game winning streak. West Virginia was dominant in their last game, taking down UCF by a score of 106-56 with six players scoring in double digits. Expect a fun one on Sunday as the Frogs can take a big step toward a second consecutive Big 12 title with a win.
