TCU escapes Colorado’s upset bid in Big 12 quarterfinals
No. 8 TCU had to overcome an injury to a starter and a spirited first half effort by Colorado in a 69-62 win over the Buffaloes in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament on Friday.
Starting forward Agnes Emma-Nnopu was unable to play creating a dilemma for the Horned Frogs. Emma-Nnopu is one of the best and most versatile defenders on the team while also being a relentless rebounder and quality shooter.
“Super proud of this group to grind out a win to open up our conference tournament,” head coach Mark Campbell said. “We didn’t play our best game, but all that matters in March is winning.”
With just 47.7 seconds remaining in the game, TCU only led 5-62 after Colorado battled back down 13 in the final quarter. With the game hanging in the balance, TCU center Sedona Prince hit a turnaround jumper in the post to put TCU up 67-62 with 20.7 seconds.
Prince made one more clutch play when she drew an offensive foul with 17.5 seconds as TCU held on for the victory as the Horned Frogs will face West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. Prince finished with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists.
It was a strong effort by the Horned Frogs who ran into adversity just days after winning the program’s first Big 12 title. A short bench became even shorter with Emma-Nnopu sitting on the bench and Colorado capitalized early by jumping on TCU in the first quarter to take a 17-13 lead as the Horned Frogs had the same number of turnovers (five) as they did field goals.
It was the worst quarter by the Horned Frogs since their loss to Kansas State on Feb. 5 as TCU’s big three of Madison Conner, Van Lith Conner and Prince all got off to slow starts.
But as the game wore on, TCU’s experience and the excellence of the big three began to turn the tide of the game. Van Lith led the charge as she showed why she was voted both Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year with 24 points.
With the Horned Frogs trailing 31-28 in the second quarter, Van Lith forced a turnover and immediately began to fire up her teammates on the bench and the court. She followed that up by sparking a 8-1 run as she knocked down two 3-pointers and found Prince for a bucket inside to give TCU a 36-31 lead with 1:47 remaining in the half.
“Playing with Hailey is a blast, we have so much energy and we compete,” Prince said. “When we get those type of buckets, when we go on those type of runs and we’re able to flex on people it’s just like this feeling you get where it’s like ‘Let’s go! This is us, this is what we waited for.’ Playing with her is a blast and we probably chest bump eight or nine times a game.”
It was the Horned Frogs’ first lead since the 9:44 mark in the first quarter and TCU made sure to not give it up by pulling away in the third quarter. Van Lith scored eight more points in the third as TCU grew its lead to 52-40 entering the fourth but it was really the defense that shined in the period.
“Our team did a great job weathering the storm,” Campbell said. “We had a third quarter that allowed us to separate from them. I’m really proud of their execution down the stretch.”
The Buffaloes shot 67% in the first half, but were held to just 27% in the third quarter. The key to the defensive turnaround was limiting Colorado center Jade Masogayo.
Masogayo was a matchup nightmare in the first half as she made her first seven shots from the field, but it was a much different story in the third as Prince and Aaliyah Roberson crowded Masogayo in the paint and contested all of her shots. Masogayo missed five of her six attempts in the quarter and without her presence in the paint, Colorado’s offense lost its primary source of offense.
Roberson played a key role for the Horned Frogs as she got the start in place of Emma-Nnopu and also had to play minutes at center to give Prince a breather in the second half. While she scored just four points, the 26 minutes is the most she’s played all season and she did a solid job of filling the void left by Emma-Nnopu.
“I just knew we were missing a big part of our defense and offense,” Roberson said. “I just knew I had to step up and my mindset was we’re going to go in there and dominate and I’m going to play my game. Do whatever I need to do for my team.”
The Horned Frogs will face the Mountaineers at 3 p.m.
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 3:40 PM.
