Hot-shooting senior explodes for career day in TCU women’s NCAA Tournament win
Coming into March Madness, much of the conversation around TCU women’s basketball surrounded the dynamic duo of Olivia Miles and Marta Suárez. But senior forward Taylor Bigby led the No. 3-seeded Horned Frogs with a career-high 27 points in an 86-40 win over No. 14 UC San Diego in a first-round game Friday at Schollmaier Arena.
Bigby went 7 for 9 on 3-pointers (8 for 10 overall) with three rebounds and two blocks. She had one of the best moments of the game when she hit four straight threes in the first half, forcing a timeout, and her teammates mobbed her at half-court
Bigby focused on giving her teammates credit, pointing out that Miles, who tied a career high with 14 assists, was a big reason for her sucess Friday.
“I think part of it is [Miles] right here, finding me, and then just confidence and just being in the right spots at the right time,” Bigby said. “And [coach Mark Campbell] talks to me about hunting shots all the time, and that’s kind of what I was doing the first half. And they just kept losing me [on defense], but more credit to her and my teammates for finding the hot hand.”
Miles talked about sharing that moment with Bigby at half-court.
“It’s special,” Miles said. “Seeing Taylor in the gym every day working on those very shots, to see it come out when it actually matters. Every moment matters, but you know now it’s real, it’s the real deal. You can’t help but be happy for that person, and like I said, it’s contagious when she’s hitting threes. And then she gets to attack the close-out and hit someone else, and they hit a three, so it just spills over, and we’re all just happy to see each other thrive and succeed.”
Bigby added that it’s the dedication each member of the team has shown that makes them all want to root for one another.
“We’re all just so happy for each other,” she said. “And, yeah, tonight was my night, but there’s many other nights where I feel like it’s other people’s nights. And we’re always just so happy for one another, because we see everyone in the gym every day.”
Campbell has lauded Bigby throughout the season for her work ethic and selflessness and said it was special to see her get that moment on the big stage.
“I think you got to see it with the joy that the teammates had watching her success,” Campbell said. “Tay is one of the ultimate teammates. Everybody loves her, but Olivia mentioned it. She’s in here and gets her shots up every day. It’s been two years now she’s in the gym working on her craft, and so it’s just neat when young people get rewarded for their hard work. It doesn’t always happen.”
Bigby’s previous career high was 21 points in a regular-season game, but her tournament breakout was even more remarkable. In nine previous NCAA Tournament games with TCU and USC, she scored a total of 16 points, sometimes in limited minutes.
Bigby said she wasn’t keeping track of her numbers and she just let the game come to her.
“I’m not gonna say I blacked out, but honestly, I was just out there playing with my team,” she said. “I wasn’t playing to get 27 tonight, but they just kept finding me, and it was just within the flow of our offense.”
Bigby and the Horned Frogs will be back in action Sunday to play No. 6 Washington in the second round at 9 p.m. at Schollmaier Arena.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 4:45 PM.
