Women’s Basketball: No. 11 Horned Frogs pitch defensive gem for win at Texas Tech

Red Raiders made one 4th Quarter basket and shot 22.8% from the field for the game

On a shortened week with back-to-back road contests, 11th-ranked TCU Women’s Basketball put on a defensive showcase in Lubbock, stifling the Red Raiders offense to run away with a 69-43 victory on Saturday night. Texas Tech shot just for the game as the Horned Frogs created five steals and blocked ten shots, including five from Sedona Prince who continues to lead the nation in blocked shots.

Prince earned her second-straight double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds; it’s her seventh 20+ point game of the season, hitting the mark in each of the last three games. TCU’s center was able to accomplish that point total while attempting zero free throws despite dominating the paint. Texas Tech meanwhile benefitted from a friendly home whistle, earning 35% of its entire point total from the free throw line, with leading scorer Bailey Maupin going a perfect 10-10 on FTs. Prince dominated the first half on Saturday, scoring 12 points on 86% shooting through the opening 20 minutes.

TCU held a narrow 17-16 advantage after the first quarter, but closed the rim on defense in the the second quarter. Texas Tech could only manage five points in the frame, shooting just 14% from the field, including 0-5 from beyond the arc. while Hailey Van Lith and Aaliyah Roberson each logged a block shot. The lockdown defense produced six turnover, directly leading to half of the Frogs’ 16 points in the quarter, allowing TCU to jump out to a 12-point halftime lead.

It was the Hailey Van Lith show in the second half. The Horned Frogs’ guard led the Frogs with 22 points on the game, 16 of which came in a dominant second half effort as the Horned Frogs out-scored TTU by 14 points after halftime. The third quarter was evenly contested, as the Red Raiders made all nine of its free throw attempts. Texas Tech cut the Frogs’ lead to ten during the period, but never broke through into single digits as Roberson drained a key three-pointer and then Van Lith ran off TCU’s next ten points to push the TCU lead to 14 headed into the final quarter.

While TCU’s second quarter appeared to be the peak of its powers, TCU took the Red Raiders to a world of pure domination in the fourth quarter. Texas Tech could muster just a single basket in the frame in 13 attempts (7.7%), scoring only four total points while getting torched by Madison Conner and Agnes Emma-Nnopu on top of continued prowess from Prince & Van Lith. The defending and offensive playmaking from the Frogs was operating at a higher level in the final quarter as TCU could walk out of the cactus land with a comfortable 69-43 victory.

TCU improved to 17-1 on the season and remains unbeaten through five games of Big 12 play, both marking program-best achievements to this point of the season. The Horned Frogs will look to keep the good times rolling in Schollmaier Arena on Tuesday January 14th at 6:30 PM, broadcast on ESPN+.