Drew’s Desk: Hailey Van Lith leads TCU Women’s Basketball to a big road win

Van Lith had 28 points on over 50% shooting from the field against the Cyclones on Sunday.

TCU Women’s Basketball added yet another impressive win to the resume in their only game this week with a road victory over a very solid Iowa State team by a score of 82-69. The Frogs had a full week of rest before this game and played energized throughout. With the win, the Frogs moved to 21-2 on the season and 9-1 in the Big 12, good to tie for first place in the conference.

HVL Takeover

Iowa State has one of the best centers in college basketball in Audi Crooks who was effective in limiting Sedona Prince’s impact on this game. Luckily for the Frogs, Hailey Van Lith recognized that TCU needed someone to carry an extra load offensively and stepped up. Van Lith put up an excellent stat line of 28 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and just one turnover against the Cyclones to lead TCU to a win. Van Lith was efficient in her scoring, shooting over 50 percent from the field and knocking down four of five attempts from the line. Van Lith’s ability to limit turnovers as the primary ball handler and still facilitate the offense has been very impressive to watch this season. This performance from Van Lith with Prince being limited due to foul trouble should get Frog fans excited about March because of the ability Van Lith showcased to fully takeover and win a game.

Strong Second Half

A recent trend for TCU Women’s Basketball had been fast starts and second-half struggles that allowed teams to get back into the game. The Frogs had no such issues against Iowa State as they took a one-point lead into halftime and built that lead into a double-digit margin of victory in the second half. Credit needs to be given to Mark Campbell for adjusting his rotation to keep his best players fresh for the second half. Aaliyah Roberson, Deasia Merrill, and Donovyn Hunter all saw increased minutes off the bench in an effort to give the starting five some rest and it paid off in a big way. The Frogs had struggled offensively in second halves, potentially due to fatigue, prior to this game but TCU had no issues scoring in the second half against Iowa State with 25 points in the third and 20 points in the fourth. Props to Campbell and the Frogs for recognizing a concerning trend and making the adjustments necessary to solve the issue.

Players Stepping Up

While Hailey Van Lith was the main offensive engine against Iowa State, other players for the Frogs stepped up in a big way to secure the win. Taylor Bigby scored a season-high 19 points against the Cyclones thanks in part to excellent shooting from deep as she made five of six attempts from three. Deasia Merrill played a big role in the win as she played a season-high 18 minutes, and racked up six points, eight rebounds, an assist, and two blocks while being tasked with defending Audi Crooks. Merrill was probably not expecting to play as much as she did but was given a bigger role due to Prince being in foul trouble and performed admirably, helping the Frogs leave Ames with a win. Donovyn Hunter again gave the Frogs a spark off the bench with ten points and a steal in 20 minutes off the bench. Iowa State did a great job of running Madison Connor off of the three-point line but she found other ways to impact the game. Connor ended the game with ten points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. It required a full team effort to take down the Cyclone in Ames.

Highlight of the Week

Agnes Emma-Nnopu with the dagger.

Looking Ahead

The Frogs will play arguably the most important game of the season to date on Wednesday at 6:30 pm as they are set to take on number 11-ranked Kansas State in Manhattan who they are tied with at the top of the Big 12 standings.