TCU’s heroes in win over Louisville? Not the usual trio of Prince, Van Lith and Conner
No. 2 seed TCU showed it has more firepower outsides of its big three of Hailey Van Lith, Madison Conner and Sedona Prince in the Horned Frogs’ 85-70 win over No. 7 seed Louisville on Sunday at Schollmaier Arena.
Big games from Agnes Emma-Nnopu and Donovyn Hunter played a major factor in the Horned Frogs advancing to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history.
Emma-Nnopu scored 23 points, the second-highest total of her career. Donovyn Hunter scored a season-high 18 and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, including three 3-pointers.
“Hailey and Madison are elite playmakers,” Emma-Nnopu said. “When they’re pressuring them like that it leaves the court wide open for me and Donovyn, we were just feeling it tonight.”
Both performances were crucial as Louisville designed its defensive scheme around keeping the ball out of the big three’s hands. Van Lith and Conner faced constant double teams in the pick-and-roll while Louisville did its best to deny post entries to Prince.
With all the attention on the big three, that left Emma-Nnopu and Hunter wide open and they capitalized on the open looks.
“Hailey and Madi are elite scorers, so there’s no question why teams would pressure them the way that they do,” Hunter said. “I think throughout the season I’ve learned I have to step up in my role to relieve the pressure off of them when they get trapped with every ball screen.
“I think tonight was just a testament to the work we put in as a team in practice.”
It’s not the first time Emma-Nnopu has had a big scoring game as a Horned Frog. While she has mostly been a spot up shooter and rebounder this year, she was one of the team’s leading scorers last season.
She averaged a career-high 10.7 points per game and had 28 points against Nebraska and had over 10 games where she scored in double figures.
That built her confidence as a scorer and prepared her for this moment.
“The coaches kept pouring into me,” Emma-Nnopu said. “Some days I’m not hitting (shots) and have to contribute in other ways. But they continuously told me if you have your feet set, let that thing fly. Just continuing to believe in myself has been something huge I’ve been working on.”
Hunter continues her late season growth after being inserted into the starting lineup in February. The youngest player in TCU’s rotation, Hunter leaned on her experience from last March Madness against Louisville.
As a freshman, she helped Oregon State reach the Elite Eight including scoring 11 in a win over Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen. It’s no surprise she’s begun to take her game to the next level as the pressure continues to mount.
“Donovyn Hunter is the most selfless, elite level winner you can ask for,” head coach Mark Campbell said. “Starting point guard as a true freshman at Oregon State, led them a game away from the Final Four last year. She comes and learn a brand new system at a brand new program and leads her team to a Sweet Sixteen.
“Our team has taken off as Donovyn has continued to grow and blossom throughout the season. That young lady is a freaking warrior.”
Thanks to Hunter and Emma-Nnopu, Van Lith, Conner and Prince were able to take their time and find their spots against Louisville’s defense.
The Cardinals were forced to move away from their trapping style of defense due to the success of Hunter and Emma-Nnopu. That allowed Van Lith and Prince to combine for 21 points in the second half to hold off a Louisville rally.
The big three will need to be elite in Birmingham to advance to the Elite Eight and beyond, but the Horned Frogs showed they can win high-level games without the best from each of the trio.
Emma-Nnopu won a national championship at Stanford before transferring to TCU and Hunter has a 5-1 record in the NCAA Tournament. March Madness is all about different heroes stepping up and TCU couldn’t have asked for more from two of their most important role players.
“They delivered in the biggest game in our program history,” Campbell said.
This story was originally published March 23, 2025 at 8:47 PM.
