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TCU women’s basketball is back in the lead in the Big 12.
The No. 17-ranked Horned Frogs picked up their second straight win over a ranked opponent, knocking off No. 19 West Virginia 59-50 on Sunday at Schollmaier Arena.
The Horned Frogs (23-4, 11-3) extended their home winning streak to 40 games and moved into a tie for first place atop the Big 12 standings with Baylor (22-5, 11-3). TCU defeated the Bears 83-67 on Thursday in Waco.
“Every time we play [West Virginia], it’s an absolute battle,” TCU coach Mark Campbell said. “Proud of our team. I thought we were tremendous defensively for 40 minutes.”
It was tale of two halves. TCU trailed 28-22 at halftime, but seized control of the game thanks to a 20-2 run midway through the third quarter.
The Mountaineers (21-6, 11-4) were still hanging around, cutting the deficit to 53-47 with 5:59 remaining. That’s when All-American guard Olivia Miles put her stamp on the game.
After knocking down a free throw, Miles found sophomore center Clara Silva for a midrange jumper in the paint. Then Miles pushed the pace in transition and overcame contact for another layup as the Horned Frogs took their biggest lead of the evening, 58-47, with 2:50 remaining.
“It was our defense,” Miles said of the comeback. “I told the girls before the second half started to take individual pride, and we truly didn’t want our man to score on us. It just compiled, and we got into a flow state and started hitting shots. We let our defense dictate our offense.”
Miles finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Horned Frogs hit enough of their free throws down the stretch to put the Mountaineers away and complete the season sweep. TCU beat West Virginia 51-50 on Jan. 14 in Morgantown on graduate forward Marta Suarez’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
“The last two games, to go into Waco and play West Virginia in back-to-back games and to be able to get it done, this group is getting ready for March,” Campbell said. “They’re growing, and they’re doing it together.”
TCU will next travel to face Houston at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Here are three more takeaways from the win:
A run to remember
After a frustrating first half, TCU came out firing in the third quarter behind its stars, Suarez and Miles. The two had been held to a combined six points in the first half, but the halftime break allowed them to adjust to the physical style of West Virginia.
Suarez started the run with a 3 from the top of the key, and then a few plays later, she gave TCU a 30-28 lead with a bucket inside. That’s when Miles started to get involved, as she hit a layup and then found senior guard Taylor Bigby on a beautiful bounce pass through multiple defenders to extend the lead to 34-30. Miles added another assist as she found junior guard Donovyn Hunter in a corner for a 3-pointer.
Led by Miles and Suarez, TCU’s run turned a 28-22 deficit at halftime into a 42-30 lead midway through the third quarter. Suarez punctuated the run with an impressive one-legged turnaround jumper. The barrage changed the entire direction of the game, as TCU led 46-39 entering the fourth quarter and wouldn’t trail the rest of the way.
“We had that 20-2 run in the third quarter, and this group has that ability,” Campbell said. “It was like an avalanche, and we grinded it out.”
Suarez finished with 14 points and five rebounds while knocking down two 3-pointers.
Clara Silva the X-factor
With Suarez and Miles struggling in the first half, the Horned Frogs leaned on the 6-foot-7 Silva to stay within range. With West Virginia’s tallest player only being 6-3, Silva had a noticeable size advantage, which TCU exploited.
Silva scored TCU’s first four points of the game and finished with 10 in the first half. Silva showed her immense potential — and where she needs to continue to grow — against the Mountaineers. Her length and touch around the rim flustered West Virginia, but Silva also had multiple possessions when she settled for a fadeaway jumper instead of leaning into her defender.
“She’s still figuring out how good she is,” Campbell said. “She’s still gaining confidence in her ability to go at people and punish them. I thought she stabilized us in the first quarter and allowed us to get our footing.”
Silva had a smaller role offensively in the second half as Miles and Suarez began to take over, but she was still a vital part of the comeback, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
“I just wanted to keep working because my team trusts me so much and Mark trusts me so much,” Silva said. “I just have to trust myself that even when I make mistakes to keep going, stay physical and play hard. Being around such great guards I get open a lot, and I just have to take advantage of those opportunities when the ball gets to me.”
A sound defensive game plan
The Mountaineers made life tough on TCU offensively with a physical style of defense that disrupted the Horned Frogs’ flow. It wasn’t a surprise considering the Mountaineers held TCU to a season-low 51 points in their previous meeting, but the familiarity with West Virginia’s style didn’t help TCU early.
West Virginia emphasized ball denial and was aggressive in playing passing lanes as the Mountaineers forced six turnovers in the first half. Suarez dealt with foul trouble, and Miles was held scoreless until midway through the second quarter.
Unlike Baylor, which played off of Miles and let her hoist up 3s in TCU’s win Thursday (making 10), the Mountaineers threw bodies at Miles when she drove to the lane and defenders like Jordan Harrison played tight on Miles during every pick-and-roll scenario.
West Virginia’s defensive strategy didn’t have the same impact in the second half. After shooting just 36% in the first, TCU shot 68% from the floor in the second half.
This story was originally published February 15, 2026 at 9:16 PM.
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Steven Johnson
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