Guard Olivia Miles dropped a game-high 22 points as No. 13 TCU women’s basketball cruised to a 77-46 victory over Arizona State.
“This game was, we call it just a toughness test,” TCU head coach Mark Campbell said. “We’re going to see who the tougher team is today. And our defensive effort was high level, and that allowed us to get out in transition and get going.”
The Horned Frogs (16-1 overall, 4-1 Big 12) have now won 36 straight home games dating back to last season. Arizona State (16-2, 3-2) suffered its second loss of the season after a program-best 15-0 start under first-year head coach Molly Miller.
“We weren’t quite ready for this moment, so it teaches us how to prepare better for this moment,” Miller said. “And I’ll take that. We need to be tougher in practice. We need to make sure that we hit pressure-free throws. You can’t shoot 28% [from the field], 56% from the free throw line, miss some bunnies, and hang with this team. You’re never beating this team when you score 46 points.”
Guard Gabby Elliot led Arizona State with 19 points and seven rebounds. No other Sun Devil cracked 10 points, and starting guard Marley Washenitz fouled out with zero points.
Miles tacked on five rebounds and six assists to her stat line. Guard Donovyn Hunter and center Clara Silva joined Miles in double-digit scoring with 10 points each. Silva added 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double this season.
TCU held Arizona State under 30% shooting (17-of-59), including 25% from 3-point range (3-of-12), and forced 17 turnovers. The Sun Devils became the 16th opponent to shoot under 40% this season versus the Horned Frogs. TCU shot 55% (31-of-56) from the field, but also had 17 turnovers and gave up 12 offensive rebounds.
“It ended up averaging out, but they got a lot of offensive rebounds early,” Campbell said. “But, we got to clean that stuff up to beat the teams and accomplish what we want to accomplish. We got to take care of the ball, you got to finish possessions, and so that’ll be good for the film session.”
The Horned Frogs had 10 players enter the scoring column in one of their more balanced offensive attacks of the season. Arizona State double-teamed Miles and forward Marta Suarez throughout the game, forcing other players to step up.
Taylor Bigby looks to pass against Arizona State. Bigby finished with eight points. | Brian McLean – On Assignment Photo/KillerFrogs.com for TCU On SI
Miles scored TCU’s first five points and then did not score again for nearly 19 minutes, and Suarez, TCU’s second-leading scorer, had just four points. Guards Maddie Scherr and Taylor Bigby combined for 17 points to help fill in the scoring gap.
“I think [coach] Mark always emphasizes it, to just be confident in practice,” Hunter said. “We make sure that if that shot is open for you, shoot it. … I think everyone had that confidence within themselves of, like, even if I don’t get something up, a better shot is out there for a teammate. So, I was proud of everyone, honestly. Everyone was taking the shots when everything was open for them.”
For the second straight game, Scherr nailed 3-pointers in key moments while Bigby and Veronica Sheffey, who had five points, provided sparks off the bench.
“Ultimately, Marta and Miles are two of the best players in college basketball, and they’re incredible at what they do,” Campbell said. “But for our team to reach our full potential, we need these other players to show great growth. And I think we have.”
TCU Players: Clara Silva & Donovyn Hunter
Early on, it looked like TCU might be on upset watch. The Horned Frogs held a 14-13 lead after the end of the first quarter thanks to a basket from Hunter as time expired. The Sun Devils outrebounded the Horned Frogs in the first quarter (12-6), including five offensive rebounds that resulted in four second-chance points.
An explosive second quarter helped the Horned Frogs separate from the Sun Devils. TCU went on a 15-2 scoring run and eventually ballooned the lead to 15 points by halftime.
“They are a good defensive team, and they trap out of nowhere,” Hunter said. “So, it’s kind of figuring out at what point are they going to trap in picking roles or are they going to trap down low? So, once we got in the groove of that, we were able to kind of get in our flow, and then we were just, I think, collectively, all five on the court were getting defensive stops. So, I think that helped us kind of turn it around.”
TCU shot 75% (9-of-12) from the field during the second quarter, and Miles capped off the half with a layup, her first points since the 8:25 mark of the first quarter. The Horned Frogs never looked back after halftime and outscored the Sun Devils 42-26 in the second half.
Up Next
TCU will visit West Virginia on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
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