Star guard rains down 3s in No. 17 TCU women’s big win at No. 12 Baylor — PHOTOS
No. 17 TCU bounced back from Sunday’s defeat at Colorado with a huge 83-67 win over rival No. 12 Baylor on Thursday at Foster Pavilion — powered by a historic performance by graduate guard Olivia Miles.
“It was an awesome Big 12 game. Great environment, great crowd,” TCU coach Mark Campbell said. “It was two elite basketball teams going to battle in February, where these games mean a lot. I couldn’t be more proud of my team and the performance they gave.”
Miles finished with 40 points and made 10 3-pointers to lead TCU to its biggest victory of the season. It was the most points and 3s ever by a TCU player in a Big 12 game and set a new career high for Miles, a transfer from Notre Dame.
“It’s definitely top three for sure,” Miles said when asked where this performance ranks in her career. “If you would’ve told me I would score 40 in a game last year I would’ve laughed at you. I didn’t have that confidence, I didn’t have that self-belief. What a special win for our team.”
Not only did the victory help the Horned Frogs (22-4, 10-3) keep pace in the Big 12 race by beating the first-place Bears (21-5, 10-3), it was also the fourth straight win over Baylor after TCU snapped a 37-game losing streak to the Bears last season.
While Thursday’s game was tight in the first half, TCU maintained a 61-48 lead entering the fourth quarter after Miles knocked down seven 3-pointers in the third.
The knockout blow came during a 93-second stretch midway through the fourth. The Bears trailed 66-54, but three TCU players made consecutive 3s as the lead ballooned to 75-54 with 5:08 remaining, stunning the Baylor crowd.
Miles knocked down one of the 3s, her 10th of the game, while graduate forward Marta Suarez and junior guard Donovyn Hunter made the other two to put away the Bears. Miles finished 10-for-20 on 3s in the game.
“We’ve been growing as a team and trying to put together 40 minutes,” Campbell said. “We’ve been so dang close for a long time. We lost a couple really close games, but as a group we’ve been saying we’re just 1% away from winning every one of these games. Credit to the team for working and showing up and grinding. It paid off today.”
The Horned Frogs will face No. 19 West Virginia (21-5, 11-3) at 7 p.m. Sunday in Fort Worth. The Mountaineers moved into first place after the loss by Baylor, a half-game ahead of the Horned Frogs, Bears and No. 16 Texas Tech.
Here are three more takeaways from Thursday’s game:
Transfer battle
Two of the biggest signings in the transfer portal this offseason were TCU landing Miles from Notre Dame and Baylor landing Auburn’s Taliah Scott. Miles was a multitime All-American with the Fighting Irish, while Scott averaged over 20 points per game at Auburn and Arkansas.
The two players quickly showed why they were so coveted in the portal, as they used different styles to help their teams. Miles was aggressive early, scoring eight of TCU’s first 10 points, and the Horned Frogs led 21-12 after the first quarter. Scott had just three points in the first, but awakened in the second, making all four of her shots, including two big 3-pointers, to help Baylor cut an 11-point deficit to just 36-32 at halftime.
But the third quarter belonged to Miles, as she rained down 3-pointers to exploit Baylor’s approach on the defense. The Bears used drop coverage against the pick-and-roll to discourage drives and make Miles a jump shooter. Miles was perfectly fine with the strategy as she hit seven 3-pointers in the third quarter to help TCU extend its lead to 61-48 entering the fourth.
Miles scored 23 of TCU’s 25 points in the quarter, while Scott was once again held scoreless. While Scott finished with 22 points, Miles was clearly the better player and reminded the country why she’s viewed as a potential top-five pick in the upcoming WNBA draft.
Marta Suarez makes a statement
After a shooting slump in January, Suarez continued her strong play with another impressive performance against the Bears. Suarez scored over 20 points for the third straight game, finishing with 27 points, six rebounds and three 3s.
Suarez was the ultimate mismatch in the paint, as she bullied the Bears’ frontcourt with countless backdowns, and she used her strength to shrug off contact for multiple buckets in the lane. Suarez scored six straight points during an 11-0 run at the end of the first quarter that helped TCU take a 21-12 lead.
After scoring 15 in the first half, Suarez remained productive in the second, even as Miles began to take over the game.
“I love rivalries and I love TCU,” Suarez said. “When I learned that this was our rival, I was very excited to play.”
Another game without Maddie Scherr
After playing 13 minutes in Sunday’s loss to Colorado, TCU senior guard Maddie Scherr was held out against the Bears as she continued to rehab a back injury she suffered against Arizona on Jan. 17. Scherr has played in just two games since. Without one of its best defenders, TCU had to lean on its depth in the backcourt against Baylor.
That opened the door for freshman guard Clara Bielefeld and Texas A&M transfer guard Taliyah Parker to pick up more minutes. Bielefeld has been a staple in the rotation, but Parker’s 13 minutes Thursday were the most she has played all season.
The two players, along with senior guard Taylor Bigby, combined to score just eight points, but the trio was a plus defensively and wasn’t asked to do much offensively with the effectiveness of Miles and Suarez. It was a solid growth opportunity for Parker and Bielefeld, who will likely be needed in March Madness.
“We have great talent, great depth,” Campbell said. “It’s a long season. Taliyah and Clara are two youngsters that have been grinding in practice for a long time. It was just kind of their time. As you’ve gone through the season, they’ve slowed down their game, and they understand their role on both sides of the ball. There’s just been built up trust.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2026 at 8:18 PM.
