Prince, Van Lith lead No. 10 TCU over UCF. Next up is No. 23 Utah
No. 10 TCU kept up its historic start to the season with another Big 12 win as the Horned Frogs defeated Central Florida 90-81 Tuesday night at Schollmaier Arena.
This season has been filled with milestones and the Horned Frogs (18-1, 6-0) achieved another one in a first quarter blitz of the Knights (7-9, 0-6). TCU seized control of the game by scoring 30 points in the first, the most in a quarter under head coach Mark Campbell, and led by double digits most of the night.
“Really proud to get another Big 12 win,” Campbell said. “We’re 6-0 to start league (play) for the first time in school history. This was big, this is hard to do. Big 12 wins are hard to get and you enjoy each one of them.”
TCU’s star duo of Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince keyed the early run with a combined 17 points. Van Lith did her damage from outside as she knocked down three 3-pointers and added four assists.
A few of those assists went to Prince, who bullied the smaller frontcourt of the Knights. The duo had one stretch where they scored seven straight points to break the game open as Prince knocked down baskets in the paint and Van Lith knocked down a 3 to make it 23-8.
The Horned Frogs led 30-19 after the first quarter and eventually led by as many as 23 as they cruised to another victory in league play. The game ended up being a showcase game for Van Lith and Prince as they continue to make a case for the best duo in the Big 12 — and perhaps nationally.
Prince made her first seven shots from the field while Van Lith set a new career-high with six 3-pointers. The two veterans continued to play with strong chemistry on the court that also rubbed off on their teammates like Madison Conner (14 points) and Donovyn Hunter (12 points).
Playing off their two stars, TCU’s ball movement was superb all night. There was one possession in the second quarter where Prince rebounded a Van Lith miss and then passed it back to Van Lith. The defense collapsed and Van Lith found a wide open Agnes Emman-Nnopu for a corner 3, but she also missed.
The possession wasn’t done as Emma-Nnopu rebounded her own miss, passed it back to Van Lith and Van Lith passed up a good look for a wide open 3 by Aaliyah Roberson, which increased TCU’s lead to 39-21.
“What a fun team to play with,” Prince said. “Even on our bad nights we have such an amazing offense and play so well together. We learn so much every game, it’s a blessing. This is the most fun team I’ve played with.”
Prince finished the game off in the second half by continuing to play more bully ball against the Knights. Leading 72-55, Prince scored six straight points to stretch the lead to 78-58.
UCF made things interesting in the final minutes with 12-2 run that cut TCU’s lead to 87-81, but Van Lith made a free throw to thwart a late game collapse.
“Thankfully we have a high-powered offense that got us over the hump tonight,” Campbell said. “We gotta continue to get better, this is going to be great game film to study and learn.”
Prince and Van Lith each scored 20 points in a game for the fourth time this season as Prince finished with 27 points and seven rebounds while Van Lith added 20 points and seven assists.
The Horned Frogs are off to an impressive start, but the road will begin to get tougher with games against No. 23 Utah Friday and at No. 24 Oklahoma State Jan. 22.
This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 8:46 PM.
