Three takeaways from No. 14 TCU women’s basketball’s historic blowout
No. 14 TCU women’s basketball bounced back from Sunday’s loss to No. 18 Texas Tech with an impressive 90-45 blowout victory over Houston on Wednesday at Schollmaier Arena.
The win set a program record for the largest margin of victory in a Big 12 game.
It was one of the most complete performances of the season for the Horned Frogs (21-3, 9-2 Big 12), as the defense swarmed Houston while Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez led a high-powered offensive attack.
“We needed to get refocused after that Texas Tech game, I would call this a great bounce-back, a great response,” head coach Mark Campbell said. “We did a great job of attacking the rim, got to the free throw line 21 times and had 54 points in the paint.”
TCU was already in full control with a 19-point lead at halftime, but the Horned Frogs were determined to not get complacent and allow Houston back into the game.
Suarez knocked down two 3-pointers in the opening three minutes of the third quarter as TCU’s lead grew to 53-26. While Suarez was knocking down long distance shots, Miles was controlling the game with her passing, as she had a no-look pass that led to a wide-open basket for Veronica Sheffey.
The Horned Frogs would lead by as many as 39 points and were able to empty the bench in the fourth quarter and rest their starters.
Suarez and Miles combined for 49 points as they outscored the Cougars by themselves. It was reminiscent of the early season dominance when Miles and Suarez were both averaging nearly 20 points per game in non-conference play.
The Horned Frogs will need more performances like that from their best players as they aim to repeat as the regular-season Big 12 champions.
“I just loved the energy today. The team played hard,” Campbell said. “Really proud of them, and I’m glad we got this done.”
TCU is tied with No. 15 Baylor (20-4, 9-2) atop the Big 12 standings with two matchups scheduled against the Bears later in the year.
The Horned Frogs will travel to Boulder to face Colorado at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Here are three more takeaways from Wednesday’s game:
More magic from Miles
After a rough performance in Lubbock against Texas Tech, Miles was determined to bounce back against Houston, and she delivered one of her best outings of the season. Miles came out aggressive, scoring 11 of TCU’s 19 points in the first quarter, including drilling a 3-pointer.
Miles did most of her damage in the lane as she consistently blew by her defender to create space and made all four of her shots in the first quarter. Miles ended up with 16 points in the first half and went 6-of-6 from the field to help TCU take a 44-25 lead into halftime.
Miles was just as effective in the second half as she continued to get into the lane and use her signature scoop layup to get easy baskets. Miles also dazzled the crowd with behind-the-back dribbles and no-look passes. Miles finished with 25 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals.
“It was a tough loss. I took it pretty hard as the leader of this team,” Miles said. “We fell short, but there are blessing and lessons in losses and in life. One game equals one game. That Tech game was just as important as this game.”
Suarez takes over in second quarter
The Horned Frogs and Cougars exchanged blows in the first quarter with TCU only leading 19-14. It appeared the Horned Frogs would be in for another battle against an in-state opponent until TCU delivered the knockout blow in the second quarter.
The Horned Frogs outscored the Cougars 25-11 in the second period led by Suarez.
After going scoreless in the first, Suarez scored 12 in the second, including three of TCU’s first four baskets in the quarter as the lead grew to 27-16. After Donovyn Hunter knocked down two straight buckets, Suarez got back into the mix, knocking down a 3-pointer off a pass from Miles to increase TCU’s lead to 37-18 at the 5:43 mark.
In less than five minutes, TCU turned a close game into a blowout. Later Suarez converted a three-point play to lift the Horned Frogs to a 22-point lead. It was a confidence-building performance for the senior forward after hitting a rough patch in January in league play. Suarez finished with 24 points, the most she’s scored since she scored 23 points against Utah on Jan. 3.
Suarez has now scored over 15 points and shot above 50% from the floor in back-to-back games for the first time since mid-December.
“It’s basketball, you just got to stick with it,” Suarez said. “I trust the work I put in, and my teammates and my coaches give me the confidence to keep shooting the ball.”
Scherr sits out with back injury
After making her return to the lineup on Sunday against Texas Tech, senior guard Maddie Scherr didn’t play against the Cougars. Scherr was dressed out, but sat on the bench with what appeared to be a brace for support for her back. Scherr missed all of last season with a back injury and tweaked her back against Arizona on Jan. 17, which led to her missing three games.
“We have a lot of basketball left. She’s such an important part of our program and team this year,” Campbell said. “So you’re trying to be wise and manage when she needs to push through. We listened to the trainers and doctors and were being careful and wise so we can maximize [her] over the course of this journey.”
The Horned Frogs had missed Scherr’s defensive presence and shooting ability, but she wasn’t needed against the Cougars as Hunter picked up most of the slack on both sides of the court. Hunter scored 15 points, forced four steals and countless more deflections as she disrupted Houston in the half-court.
Sheffey also continued to play well with more minutes, adding five points off the bench. While Scherr wasn’t needed against Houston, TCU will need her down the stretch, as the schedule features three ranked opponents in the final seven games.
This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 8:51 PM.
