BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
TCU women’s basketball historic season came to an end in the Elite Eight as the Horned Frogs were defeated 58-47 by Texas on Monday night at Legacy Arena.
It was the first loss for TCU since Feb. 5 and the Horned Frogs finished the best season in program history 34-4, one game short of the program’s first Final Four appearance.
“I want to give Texas credit for playing a phenomenal game,” head coach Mark Campbell said. “They made us uncomfortable and kept us out of rhythm for the whole game. Credit to them and wish them nothing but the best as they head to Tampa.”
TCU trailed most of the game as Texas’ athleticism and physicality on defense made life difficult for the Horned Frogs’ ball handlers. The Horned Frogs finished with more turnovers (21) than field goals (12) in their worst offensive showing since the 85-52 defeat to South Carolina in December.
The Horned Frogs turnovers led to 17 points for the Longhorns.
Despite the struggles with the Longhorns’ size, TCU only trailed 32-31 with less than four minutes in the third quarter as the Horned Frogs took advantage of Texas’ aggression by drawing fouls and going a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line.
But SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker finally got going in the third with eight points, including a three-point play that helped Texas take a 42-33 lead into the fourth.
Texas led by as many as 12 points in the fourth as the turnovers continued to pile up for the Horned Frogs including a giveaway on an inbounds play that led to a fastbreak layup for Kyla Oldacre that put the Longhorns ahead 47-36 with 8:29 remaining in the game.
A few minutes later Sedona Prince fouled out with more than six minutes remaining as the Horned Frogs’ hopes of a comeback withered away. Prince finished with just four points and nine rebounds against her former team.
Prince acknowledged that going up against her former school took a toll on her mentally. Prince suffered a season-ending injury at Texasin 2018 and it led to a conflict with the athletic department as Prince says Texas tried to medically retire her and treated her unfairly.
“All credit to the Texas bigs, Taylor Jones is a heck of a player,” Prince said. “They scouted me very well, played me very well. Today was a very full circle for me in a way I wasn’t expecting. Just looking at the people that did so much damage to me at a young age was a lot and it was hard. I thought we had to win to prove it to them that they couldn’t beat me.
“I think I was in my head a lot, but it’s God’s Glory no matter what.”
TCU made one last charge as the Horned Frogs got a boost from Deasia Merrill off the bench. Merrill scored four points during a 8-0 run that allowed the Horned Frogs to cut Texas’ lead to 53-47 with 2:42 remaining.
But Booker answered with a tough mid-range basket to finally put TCU away with 2:02 remaining.
Booker finished with a game-high 18 points and was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Birmingham 3 Regional. Hailey Van Lith finished with 17 points and was named to the All-Tournament team with Prince.
The Horned Frogs kept their heads held high after the game and spent the final moments in the locker room reflecting on the memories made with each other.
“So I’m sitting up here now with women that I love and a coach that I love and a team that I love,” Van Lith said. “We’re not even sad about losing. We’re sad that we aren’t going to see each other next week.”
TCU Horned Frogs guard Hailey Van Lith (10) works against Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) during the second half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Legacy Arena. Vasha Hunt Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
TCU Horned Frogs guard Hailey Van Lith (10) works against Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) during the second half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Legacy Arena. Vasha Hunt Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) rebounds the ball over TCU Horned Frogs guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu (21) during the second half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Legacy Arena. Vasha Hunt Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
TCU Horned Frogs guards Hailey Van Lith (10) and Agnes Emma-Nnopu (21) battle with Texas Longhorns guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda (32) for a loose ball during the first half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Legacy Arena. Vasha Hunt Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
The TCU Horned Frogs bench cheer their team during the first half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game against the Texas Longhorns at Legacy Arena. Vasha Hunt Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 8:11 PM.
