Three takeaways from No. 10 TCU women’s Big 12 tournament quarterfinal vs. BYU
No. 10 TCU women’s basketball started its Big 12 Tournament title defense with a commanding 63-46 win over BYU in the quarterfinals Friday.
The Horned Frogs (28-4) led by double digits most of the game after taking a 24-8 lead after the first quarter despite the Cougars (22-11) doing their best to make the game as uncomfortable as possible.
“That was just a fun environment,” TCU coach Mark Campbell said. “I thought we got off to a great start in the first quarter. It gave us the separation that we needed.”
BYU used a full court press and a physical approach in the half-court to try and slow the Horned Frogs’ uptempo offense, but it still wasn’t enough as the Horned Frogs’ defense and depth overwhelmed the Cougars.
The Cougars tried to make one last run midway through the fourth as they cut TCU’s lead to 53-38 with 6:33 remaining. TCU staved off the comeback as Olivia Miles hit Clara Silva for a layup with a no-look pass and then Veronica Sheffey turned a steal into two more points as TCU took a 57-38 lead that wouldn’t be challenged the rest of the way.
The Horned Frogs will face Kansas State in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Saturday. The No. 12 seed Wildcats have been the biggest surprise of the tournament so far as Kansas State became the first 12-seed to win a game in the tournament when it upset No. 4 seed Oklahoma State.
Here are three more takeaways from the quarterfinal win:
Stars wake up late
BYU’s defensive strategy was clear: The Cougars were determined to make any Horned Frog not named Marta Suarez or Miles beat them. The two first-team All-Big 12 selections constantly faced double teams, with BYU positioning an extra defender in the lane for Miles’ drives while the Cougars also double-teamed Suarez every time she got a touch in the post.
The plan was mostly successful as Miles didn’t score her first points until the third quarter, while Suarez went just 2 of 6 in the first. TCU maintained a double-digit lead despite the slow start, but as the game wore on, TCU needed one of the stars to wake up as BYU briefly cut it to 39-30 with less than four minutes remaining in the third with a 9-0 run.
Both players stepped up with back-to-back buckets to stop the run. The takeover continued in the fourth as the duo scored six of the first eight points for the Horned Frogs, helping create some much-needed separation.
Miles, the Big 12 Player of the Year, finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Suarez finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
“They made my life easy,” Miles said. “I’m more than happy to pass the ball to my teammates. I find so much joy in just distributing, that’s my first instinct.”
Bigby’s breakout
TCU wing Taylor Bigby struggled last year in March Madness, particularly in the Big 12 tournament as she went scoreless in three games. But in the days leading up to this year’s tournament, Bigby said she had regained her confidence, and for much of Friday afternoon she was TCU’s best player on the court.
The first quarter belonged to Bigby as she scored 11 points and made all four of her shots. Three of those were 3-pointers that helped TCU take a commanding 24-8 lead despite Miles and Suarez combining to score just two points.
Bigby scored just two points the rest of the way, but her opening blitz helped TCU seize control of the game.
“It felt good, for it be the first game and with the way my team was playing it gave me a lot of confidence,” Bigby said.
Defense sets the tone
Despite Suarez and Miles scoring just six points in the first half, TCU led 32-19 at halftime thanks to one of its strongest defensive performances of the season. It started with the perimeter defense of Bigby and Donovyn Hunter, who shadowed BYU’s leading scorer, Delaney Gibb.
Gibb entered the day averaging 17.8 points, but was held to just five points in the first half as Hunter and Bigby took turns locking up the sophomore guard. Bigby bothered Gibb with her length that allowed her to play through the constant use of screens by BYU, while Hunter used her quickness and physicality to routinely beat Gibb to her spot.
“I take a lot of pride (in my defense),” Bigby said. “A lot of us tell each other before the game to take our matchups personal, and we knew today we had to get stops with their main two scorers.”
Gibb shot just 1 of 9 in the first and the Cougars struggled to find answers with Gibb off her game. The few times the Cougars did penetrate and get to the lane, TCU shot blockers Kennedy Basham and Clara Silva were waiting. The two 6-foot-7 centers combined for five blocks in the first.
Gibb managed to get to 17 points, but finished just 6 of 22 from the field. BYU shot 27% overall as TCU finished with nine blocks.
“I think we were elite defensively,” Campbell said. “It’s really hard to slow Delaney Gibb and Olivia Hamlin, but I thought our team did a tremendous job on those two guards. Silva and Basham were just great rim protectors, just overall an incredible defensive effort.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 3:55 PM.
