Women’s Basketball: No. 17 TCU overcomes 11-point 4th quarter deficit to stun No. 3 Notre Dame

Horned Frogs outscore the Irish 31-12 in 4th quarter to take opening game of Cayman Islands Classic

No. 17 TCU Women’s Basketball moved to 7-0 on the season with the biggest win in program history on Friday night from Grand Cayman, stunning No. 3 Notre Dame thanks to a furious 4th quarter comeback that saw the Horned Frogs outscoring the Fighting Irish 31-12 over that final 10 minutes. Hailey Van Lith led the Frogs with 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half after picking up three quick fouls in the first half. Sedona Prince played all 40 minutes and delivered a remarkable 20 point, 20 rebound double-double, with four assists, three steals, and eight blocks. Madison Conner sparked the comeback with back-to-back three-pointers to open the 4th quarter as part of an 18-point night for TCU’s sharp-shooter.

The Horned Frogs opened the game with a Taylor Bigby made three-pointer, but quickly found itself in a deep hole as Irish superstar guard combo of All-American Hannah Hidalgo and projected top-5 WNBA selection Olivia Miles took control of the contest – and let the TCU bench know about it. Hidalgo is a top-five scorer nationally and picked up an early technical foul while taunting following a first quarter layup. With Van Lith sidelined in foul trouble, TCU struggled to find points in the early going, making just 1 of 6 three-point attempts while shooting 26% from the field. Despite trailing by 10 after the opening 10 minutes, the Frogs kept the game within arms reach throughout the first half, never allowing the Irish to go on a back-breaking run that would put the game out of reach, thanks to elite defending. TCU was able to contain Notre Dame’s top-ten ranked scoring offense in the first half with five blocks from Sedona Prince and seven forced turnovers while holding the Irish to just 36% shooting from the field. In the battle of the nation’s top two shot blockers, it was super senior Frog Sedona Prince erasing Irish freshman phenom Kate Koval. Koval finished the game with zero points on 0-9 shooting with just six rebounds and two blocks

The Frogs cut the deficit to as little as three points during the second quarter and went into halftime trailing by six, but a series of scoring runs from Notre Dame in the third quarter had TCU scrambling as the Irish pushed a lead all the way out to 14 with three minutes to play in the 3rd quarter. Van Lith scored 10 points in the period to keep the Frogs afloat, however TCU carried a double-digit deficit into the final frame, needing a miracle comeback against one of the sport’s elite programs.

Undaunted by the challenge ahead in the final 10 minutes, TCU opened the 4th quarter with an 8-point run, sparked by consecutive triples from Madison Conner, cutting the Irish lead to just three after a minute into the period. As the teams traded buckets over the next few minutes, a HVL fastbreak layup tied the game at 61 with five minutes remaining in the game. Moments later, Agnes Emma-Nnopu gave the Horned Frogs its first lead since a 3-0 advantage in the game’s opening moments, part of a seven-point quarter for the senior guard.

Taylor Bigby splashed a triple on the next possession and the Horned Frogs were off and running, dominating the game’s final four minutes to sprint away from the Irish as Notre Dame’s super stars fell apart in the critical moments. After surrendering the lead the Fighting Irish scored just five total points with Hannah Hidalgo & Olivia Miles combining to make just one of eight shot attempts in those four minutes. As the Irish began fouling to attempt to climb back into the game in the final minutes, TCU made 5 free throw attempts to maintain the comfortable final margin. The win marked the fourth time in program history that TCU has defeated a team ranked No. 3 and the first since defeating No. 3 Cal in 2008.

TCU has little time to celebrate as it will play a second game in Grand Cayman on Saturday evening, taking on South Florida (4-4) at 6:30 PM, broadcast on FloSports with radio broadcast by KTCU and available online or via the TuneIn Radio App.