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TCU advances to second straight Elite 8 vs. Virginia: results, highlights
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- TCU advances to second straight Elite 8 vs. Virginia: results, highlights
SACRAMENTO, CA ― No. 3-seed TCU advanced to the Elite Eight by eliminating No. 10-seed Virginia, 79-69, in the Sweet 16 of the Women's NCAA Tournament on March 28.
Marta Suarez scored 33 points to propel the Horned Frogs to their second consecutive Elite Eight in program history. She added nine rebounds, three assists and a steal.
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There was a shift in momentum early on. Both teams seemed evenly match through much of the first half. If one team made a run, the other would respond.
A key moment was a late second quarter foul committed by Virginia guard Romi Levy that was later upgraded to a flagrant one foul. TCU was down a point going into halftime but responded with an 11-0 run to open the third quarter.
"Pretty early on, we had some great runs. There was some moments and ups and downs. That's basketball," Suarez told USA TODAY Sports. "... We understood what their game was, what their plan kind of was so, so we knew where to punch, but also at the end of the day, we really trust in our game and in our team. So it always comes down to just being the best version of ourselves."
The best version of TCU is self aware, doing what they can do to control the outcome of a game. That mindset has given the Horned Frogs unwavering confidence and has carried them through the NCAA Tournament.
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"It always comes down to us," Suarez said. "We never put it on what are they doing? What did they call? What happened? We show up as the best version of ourselves, we can be anybody. So that's our responsibility."
Senior point guard Olivia Miles stuffed the stat sheet with near a triple-double, tallying 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. She also nabbed two steals.
Suarez and Miles, both adds from the transfer portal this offseason, combined for 77% of TCU's points.
Paris Clark and Kymora Johnson led the Cavaliers with 20 and 18 points, respectively.
Virginia ended their season at 22-12 overall and 11-7 in the ACC. Their all-time NCAA Tournament record is 37-26, which includes their upset victory against No. 2 Iowa. As the season comes to a close, the Cavaliers aren't hanging their heads.
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"The biggest thing is to just, not be sad that it's over, but be happy that it happened," Johnson said to USAT. "So for me, I think right now, I'm just focused on my team and making sure they stay positive and be proud of all that we did this year."
TCU Horned Frogs took control of the game by getting easy baskets. They outscored the Cavaliers in paint points, 46-28. They had no answer for Miles or Suarez.
"Olivia Miles, she's a triple double-type kid, and she's really hard to guard," Virginia head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton told USA TODAY Sports. "They put her in ball screens, multiple ball screens, sometimes in a possession. And I thought we contained some of that early, and then, you know, she just got away from us, but she's a phenomenal player."
TCU will face South Carolina in the Elite Eight on Monday, March 30 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Golden 1 Center.
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More NCAAW: No. 3 Duke holds on, beats LSU to advance to women's Sweet 16: Highlights
Final: Virginia 69, TCU 79
TCU looked to run away with the game in the fourth quarter. Virginia forward Tabitha Amanze injured her leg as she attempted to back down Clara Silva, who didn't budge as Amanze went falling to the floor. She stayed there for nearly five minutes before going to the locker room with 8:45 remaining.
The Cavaliers wouldn't go away. Not without a fight. Virginia began increasing their defensive pressure, TCU was held without a field goal for three minutes. However, the Cavaliers scored three points, from free throws in the span. The Horned Frogs took the lid off the cylinder on a 3-pointer from Olivia Miles and a layup from Silva.
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Virginia went to a full court press after made baskets, which bothered the TCU offense in the backcourt, forcing back-to-back turnovers. Cavaliers got to within 10 with under two minutes to, but Miles was too much.
Virginia's Breona Hurd made it a single-digit game, 72-63, after a made three.
Marta Suarez went to the free throw line with 1:18 and made both to give her a career-high 33 points. The TCU lead was back to 11. Kymora Johnson connected on a three to bring back to within single-digits. TCU led 74-66 with 59 seconds in the game.
Horned Frogs hung on to win and advance to the Elite Eight to face South Carolina on Monday, March 30.
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End of 3Q: Virginia 47, TCU 59
After a back-and-forth battle in the first half, TCU looked to separate themselves from the pack. The Horned Frogs opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run in a 2:05 span. That run included contribution from Taylor Bigby who opened the gates for TCU's second half with a corner three, assisted by Olivia Miles.
A couple of possessions later, it's Miles facilitating again, this time finding Clara Silva on the receiving end of a pick-and-roll. Miles connected with Silva again before Virginia called a timeout with 7:55 remaining in the third. TCU led 42-36.
Marta Suarez was cooking in the first half and she kept the fire high when her number was called, as a layup and two free throws with 5:59 left in the third gave TCU a double-digit lead, 46-36.
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Suarez had 26 points and eight rebounds at the 3:12 mark of the third quarter. At the end of three, she had 31, a point shy of her career-high.
Miles did whatever she wanted out there. She found teammates with ease. When she wanted to score, she just had to decide where she wanted to go. She ended the quarter with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Kymora Johnson made a corner three at the end of the quarter to stop the bleeding. TCU had a 59-47 lead after three.
Legendary coach shows love to fans
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, who led Virginia to three consecutive Final Fours in the early '90s, is in the arena for the game. During halftime, Staley was in the stands with Virginia fans, who lined up to take photos. The line stretched all the way up to the concourse. - Wesley Webb
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Halftime: Virginia 36, TCU 35
Virginia went up by as many as seven points in the first quarter and TCU had to claw its way back after cutting the Cavaliers' lead to four at the end of the period.
Virginia continued to pour it on but TCU's Marta Suarez is connecting from all three levels, with nine points of her 15 points in the second quarter. TCU regained the lead, 28-27, with 5:46 left in the first half.
Virginia, out of a timeout, took back control as Kymora Johnson was found on a back door cut by Paris Clark who made the dish to for the Johnson layup. Olivia Miles hasn't missed on any of her attempts. All of her points have come from layups inside the paint, going 5-for-5.
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The two teams went through a span of tit-for-tat. Any basket you can make, we can hit too. TCU led by 34-33 with 1:09 left in the second period. Miles was fouled hard by Virginia's Romi Levy. Miles hit the floor and began jawing with Levy, who was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul. Suarez made split the two free throws.
The Cavaliers responded with a transition layup from Clark. She was fouled and Virginia took a one point lead, again. Clara Silva protected the paint at the buzzer, as Virginia's Caitlin Weimer had an open layup with seconds left on the clock but Silva came with help rotation and swatted it away.
A Johnson family vacation
Virginia guard Kymora Johnson's mom and five of her siblings are sitting three rows up, opposite the Virginia bench – and it's hard to miss them. The entire family jumped up and cheered for Johnson after her back-to-back makes put the Cavaliers on top in the first quarter. Johnson made two 3s in the first quarter, giving her more than 100 for the season. She's also passed the 150-rebound mark for the season. - Wesley Webb
End of 1Q: Virginia 21, TCU 17
It was an back-and-forth battle from the jump. Both teams came out with a defensive focus. The first bucket wasn't scored until two minutes had ticked away.
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TCU senior guard Olivia Miles got things going with a layup, but it was Virginia that took off with a runoff of eight unanswered points in a five-minute span. The Cavaliers led after the first period behind Kymora Johnson pacing Virginia with eight points and three assists.
TCU shot 58% from the field, going 7-of-12, while Virginia went 8-of-17 from the field, 47%. The Cavaliers have been able to connect from deep early on, shooting 80% on 4-of-5 on three-point shots.
Virginia has relied on its defense, picking four steals in the opening quarter.
No. 3 seed TCU Horned Frogs starting lineups
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1 Taylor Bigby | G 6-1 - Senior
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4 Donovyn Hunter | G 6-0 - Junior
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5 Olivia Miles | G 5-10 - Senior
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7 Marta Suarez | F 6-3 - Senior
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17 Clara Silva | C 6-7 - Sophomore
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Head coach: Mark Campbell
No. 10 seed Virginia Cavaliers starting lineups
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Paris Clark, guard, senior
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Sa'Myah Smith, forward, redshirt junior
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Tabitha Amanze, forward, senior
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Kymora Johnson, guard, junior
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Romi Levy, guard, graduate
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Head Coach:Amaka Agugua-Hamilton
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Virginia vs. TCU predictions
Here are USA TODAY Sports experts' predictions for the Sweet 16 matchup between No. 3-seed TCU and No. 10-seed Virginia.
All hope for TCU is riding on the performance of Miles. Whether she's scoring or dishing the rock, the Horned Frogs will go as far as the WNBA prospect takes them.
For Viriginia, relying on their stifling defense should have a positive outcome for the Cavaliers. They've been on a Cinderella run and will need to continue playing with a chip on their shoulders, leaving it all on the court with elimination on the line.
Virginia is the majority favorite, according to USAT's five-person expert panel. Here's how the voting went.
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TCU vs. Virginia game notes
TCU women's basketball program has had a major turnaround within the previous couple of seasons since hiring coach Mark Campbell in 2023.
He took over a team that went 8-23 in the season prior. Now in his third season with Horned Frogs, Campbell has posted a 86–21 (.800) record.
Campbell had brought an innovative idea to keep his team inspired. Every player rocks a No. 40 jersey at practice , which symbolizes the only thing promised is "40 more minutes of basketball" he said.
TCU senior guard Olivia Miles is headed for the WNBA Draft after the season , as she hopes to add a national title to her collegiate resume before saying her final goodbyes. Miles have averaged 19.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists and is shooting 48% from the field.
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Miles played with Virgina's senior center Tabitha Amanze in high school at Blair Academy in New Jersey. Amanze is averaging 9.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
Virigina junior Kymora Johnson leads the way for the Cavaliers with 19.5 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists on 41.3% field goal shooting. She scored a career-high 41 points against Winthrop on Dec. 20.
The Cavaliers have placed their focus in limiting opponent's scoring opportunities. Virginia averages 75.2 points per game, while holding the competition to 64.6 ppg. They ranked third in NCAA Division I with 6.4 blocks per game.
This is the first time these two institutions will face each other in 16 years. The last meeting was held Nov. 27, 2010, as Virginia took the lone meeting between the schools, winning 59-55 at a neutral site.
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What time is the TCU vs. Virginia women's Sweet 16 game?
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Date: Saturday, March 28
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Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT)
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Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
The No. 3-seed TCU Horned Frogs will play the No. 10-seed Virginia Cavaliers in the NCAA Women's Sweet 16 round at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) Saturday, March 28, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.
No. 10 Virginia vs. No. 3 TCU: TV, streaming
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TV: ESPN
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Stream: ESPN Unlimited
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TCU vs. Virginia women's Sweet 16 results: Highlights, score
