Women’s Basketball: No. 9 TCU outlasts No. 25 Baylor for first win over Bears since 1990

Sedona Prince & Agnes Emma-Nnopu earn double-doubles while Hailey Van Lith records 500th career assist

It was a historic Sunday in Schollmaier Arena, just another notch in a historic season for 9th-ranked TCU Women’s Basketball, as the Horned Frogs survived a late rally to take down No. 25 Baylor 80-75. After losing the previous 37 contests vs. its Waco rival, the program has finally ended the streak, marking the first time TCU has ever defeated a ranked Baylor team. The Frogs pick up a fourth win over a ranked foe this season to improve to 20-2 overall and 8-1 halfway through Big 12 action.

Sedona Prince powered the Frogs with 24 points & 14 rebounds for her tenth double-double of the season, setting a program record with her 7th consecutive game scoring 20+. All but four of the Horned Frogs points were provided by the fearsome foursome of Prince, Madison Conner (21), Hailey Van Lith (19), and Agnes Emma-Nnopu (12). It was Emma-Nnopu who led the way in the first half for the Frogs en route to a season-best performance. The Baylor defensive plan early on was to give her space on the perimeter in effort to clog the lane and Emma-Nnopu made the Bears pay, draining a trio of triples. Following an 0-7 outing in TCU’s loss at Oklahoma State, vs. the Bears the Australia native would finish with her first double-double of the season, with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

TCU shot the lights out in the first half, making 7-10 three-point attempts while shooting a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. Even pairing that elite shooting with a stout defensive effort, TCU carried only an 11 point advantage into halftime. Every chance it seemed the Frogs would begin to run away with it, Baylor would find an answer, forcing 12 TCU turnovers and dominating the offensive glass for 8 2nd chance points in the first half.

The Horned Frogs came out of the locker room firing in the third quarter, doubling that lead to 22 points five minutes into the half as Prince & Conner took control, as Baylor defenders had no answers for the step-backs, the screen game, or the shooting stroke of the duo. The taxing physical effort of defending a very strong Baylor squad began to show in the second half. Although TCU spread some meaningful minutes to Donovyn Hunter, Aaliyah Roberson, and Knisha Godfrey throughout the game, the Frogs began to show fatigue late in the third quarter. In particular, Hailey Van Lith was held to one made field goal in the second half, with some uncharacteristic shots falling short and layups falling off the rim. Playing through that fatigue, Van Lith still found the legs to make five clutch 4th quarter free throws in preserving the lead, while reaching another career milestone with her 500th career assist

TCU held a 15 point advantage into the fourth quarter and maintained a double-digit lead with just over two minutes to play in regulation before the Bears rolled off an 8-1 run to cut the margin to one possession with less than 30 seconds remaining. With the game put in the hands of the free throw shooters to close out the contest, Van Lith made a pair before Emma-Nnopu & Hunter each went 1-2 in trips to the charity stripe. Hunter’s FT in the final seconds made it a two-possession game and Baylor’s final shot attempt bounced off the rim as the clock hit zeroes and the Schollmaier crowd could celebrate – and breathe a sigh of relief – as the Horned Frogs completed its first win over Baylor in nearly 35 years.

The Horned Frogs were able to bounce back following the heartbreaking midweek loss in Stillwater to pick up a 20th win on the season. TCU will get a week off to rest ahead of a very challenging road trip beginning in Ames, IA next Sunday vs. an Iowa State Cyclones (15-7; 6-3 Big 12) squad that was ranked in the Top Ten to begin the season, followed by a showdown with No. 10 Kansas State in Manhattan on February 5.