Number ten ranked TCU women’s basketball earned a big road win over number ten ranked North Carolina State by a score of 69-59. This was the first road win over a ranked non-conference opponent since 2011 and a great addition to the early-season NCAA Tournament resume. The Frogs seemed very comfortable playing in a hostile environment against a good NC State team and passed their first test of the season with flying colors.
Marta Suárez led the Ranas in scoring with 26 points and 10-18 field goals in her best game of the season. Suarez scored in multiple ways as he has all season, knocking down four of eight three-point attempts and finishing several times in the paint. His ability to pick and roll and pick and pop gives the TCU offense multiple options to attack opposing pick-and-roll defenses. Suarez took full advantage of the extra defensive attention paid to Olivia Miles and was up to the task of shouldering the main scoring load in this game. Miles was one of two Frogs with a double-double, as she scored 15 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and tallied five assists. NC State’s defense was very focused on stopping the pick-and-roll duo of Miles and Clara Silva, and Miles did a good job of finding open teammates when they sent him additional defenders. Silva was the second Rana with a double-double and filled the stat sheet with 11 points, 12 rebounds, one assist and two blocks. TCU gave Silva more post opportunities in this game and she seemed comfortable working with her back to the basket. Expect TCU to work on more post-up sets for Silva in the future. Donovyn Hunter played well for the Frogs on both ends of the court, posting 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and an excellent defensive effort against NC State’s guards. As the competition progressed, some offensive regression was expected, but the Frogs still shot the ball well, shooting 43% from the field, 33% from three and 83% from the free throw line. One area to improve on the offensive end would be turnovers. The Frogs turned the ball over 13 times as a team compared to just 11 total assists. NC State did a good job of cutting off passing lanes, but the Frogs need to make more accurate passes in the future.
TCU’s defense was outstanding against the Wolfpack, as TCU held NC State to 33% shooting from the field and 32% shooting from three. The Frogs did a solid job of keeping the Wolfpack out of the paint, as NC State totaled just 26 points in the paint compared to the Frogs’ 34. TCU’s perimeter defenders especially did a great job of staying in front of ball handlers and cutting off driving lanes.
TCU played an excellent defensive first quarter, holding NC State to just 13 points in the first ten minutes and the Frogs took a two-point lead into the second quarter despite some missed shots early. Both offenses picked up the pace in the second quarter as NC State took a 24-20 lead with five minutes left in the quarter, thanks in part to multiple offensive rebounds and a TCU turnover. However, the Frogs quickly responded with a 10-0 run in the final three minutes of the first half to take a 36-31 lead into halftime. TCU’s defense showed its strength again in the third quarter, holding NC State to just nine points as the Frogs extended the lead to 16 points on a Marta Suarez layup before the buzzer sounded. NC State battled back in the fourth and cut the lead to seven points with two minutes left in the game, but a Donovyn Hunter layup put the game away for good.
The Frogs will face Tarleton State at home in Fort Worth, this Thursday, November 20 at 6:30 p.m.