TCU exploded for 60 second-half points as Marta Suarez scored 32 to clinch a share of the Big 12 title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
FORT WORTH - TCU didn’t just win Wednesday night. The Horned Frogs made a statement. No. 11 TCU stormed back from a sluggish first half and buried Cincinnati 83-70 to lock up a share of the Big 12 regular season championship and secure the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
For a program that spent the summer talking about unfinished business, this was validation.
The Frogs (26-4, 14-3 Big 12) looked out of sync early, shooting just 29 percent before halftime and trailing 29-23 at the break. Then the switch flipped.
Out of the locker room, TCU ripped off a 13-0 run and never looked back. The second half turned into a showcase of offensive firepower. The Frogs poured in 60 points after intermission, shot 60 percent from the field (21-of-35), and drilled nine three-pointers over the final two quarters.
Marta Suarez was extraordinary. The senior exploded for a career-high 32 points, including 26 in the second half, while adding nine rebounds and four steals. Every time Cincinnati tried to inch closer, Suarez had an answer.
Donovyn Hunter chipped in 16 points, and Olivia Miles flirted with another triple-double, finishing with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Miles controlled tempo when the game got chaotic, slicing through pressure and finding shooters at exactly the right time.
And then there was Kennedy Basham. The 6-7 center came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds, block four shots and score nine points in 24 minutes. Her presence inside shifted momentum and shut down Cincinnati’s interior looks.
TCU dropped 35 points in the third quarter alone - the most in any quarter under head coach Mark Campbell - and built a lead that stretched to 20 in the fourth.
With the win, TCU guarantees at least a share of the Big 12 crown and the top seed in the conference tournament. A Sunday showdown against No. 18 Baylor now looms with an outright championship on the line.
For a team that once lost 37 straight to Baylor, the script has flipped. And this version of TCU looks built for March.