For most athletes in a slump, the remedy is to spend more time in the gym. Getting more shots up, lifting more weights and pushing themselves to get out of a funk.

But TCU forward Marta Suarez used a different approach to find her rhythm, and that was focusing on her other passion — art.

One stroll over to Suarez’s Instagram and you’ll be treated to different types of artwork, from a creative painting of Dennis Rodman to a pair of custom-painted Kobe Bryant signature sneakers and even a portrait of herself in a TCU uniform shooting a jumper.

By leaning more into her other passion, Suarez was able to break out of a shooting slump and scored 24 points in TCU’s 90-45 win over Houston on Wednesday. It was Suarez’s first time scoring more than 20 points since Jan. 3 and followed a strong performance against No. 18 Texas Tech on Sunday.

“Having that outlet was huge,” Suarez said. “Shots weren’t falling, and I think a big part of it was me not spending that time to release. I needed to step away from the game and invest in other stuff. A team with these expectations, with these players, with high pressure, it’s very easy to put more rules on yourself and keep pushing harder.”

During non-conference play, Suarez was one of the breakout stars in the nation as she shot up various WNBA mock drafts with her versatile scoring ability. She showcased high-level shooting ability, tenacity as a rebounder and was also a secondary ball handler for the Horned Frogs in the half-court.

For the season, Suarez is averaging 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 35.3% on 3-pointers.

Suarez has one stretch early in the season when she scored at least 19 points in six straight games. In her first three Big 12 games, she averaged 18.3 points per game. But over the next seven, Suarez saw her production and efficiency plummet, as she was held to single digits three times and shot below 40% in each game.

But instead of being consumed within the slump, she remembered she had another outlet that could get her through tough times.

“It’s easy as a player to want to get more shots up if they’re not falling, but sometimes you just need to go to Goodwill, find a canvas and paint over it,” Suarez said with a smile. “Have some fun with it, and it turns out next game you shoot it a lot better. That’s a huge part of me, I think everybody needs to find an outlet outside of whatever they do in their day-to-day lives to release and be creative.”

Suarez’s creativity was on full display against the Cougars, as she knocked down three 3-pointers, her most since Jan. 3. She crashed the glass, grabbing 10 rebounds, had a near-full-court drive where she finished with a left-handed layup and consistently punished Houston as a cutter in the lane.

Suarez was a big reason why the Horned Frogs scored 54 points in the paint, and the 45-point margin of the victory was the most ever for the program against a Big 12 opponent.

“We had a hard time handling her physically,” Houston coach Matthew Mitchell said. “She played a great game, she really hustled and got herself in positions where she could have success. She’s a really good player and played well tonight, that makes them very tough to guard. We didn’t have an answer for her or [guard Olivia] Miles.”

Miles is clearly TCU’s best player, like Hailey Van Lith was last year, but Suarez might be the most important, similar to how Sedona Prince was during the Horned Frogs’ Elite Eight run.

When Suarez is playing to her potential, she’s one of the uniquely talented players in the country with her size, skill set and ability to stretch the floor as a shooter.

The two-man game with Miles also gives TCU one of the best 1-2 punches nationally and could be the key to the Horned Frogs repeating as Big 12 champions in the regular season and at the conference tournament in Kansas City next month.

“Marta’s one of the keys to our team,” TCU head coach Mark Campbell said. “One of the neat things about Marta is she’s a hard worker and loves the game of basketball. She stayed consistent from when she played well to when she was in a drought. She hasn’t changed. She works her butt off.

“You just knew it was going to come back around. For us to be elite, for us to have a chance to accomplish what we want to accomplish, Marta has to play great basketball. We believe in her that she will.”

Along with her art, the confidence that Campbell and teammates like Miles poured into her also helped Suarez find her groove on the court again. Those words of encouragement helped her avoid putting her head down, and she said she never had a doubt she would break out of the slump.

“It’s just basketball. You just gotta stick with it,” Suarez said. “My teammates, my coaches gave me the confidence to keep shooting the ball, so that’s what I’m going to keep doing. You just have to be ready when the storm has passed and still be prepared.”

There’s a storm coming for the Horned Frogs with a grueling final slate that includes three ranked opponents and two more matchups against quality opponents in Iowa State and Colorado.

If Suarez continues to play like she did Wednesday, TCU is more than capable of defending its Big 12 crown and becoming a Final Four contender in March Madness.

This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM.

Steven Johnson

Fort Worth Star-Telegram