The TCU Horned Frogs completed the comeback against Cincinnati with the return of the remarkable three-point shooter Madison Conner, who hadn’t played since the team faced Houston on Jan. 13.
Conner led the team with 31 points and five rebounds. Sydney Harris also made a significant contribution, adding 27 points and six rebounds, while Una Jovanovic chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Head coach Mark Campbell, in his postgame statement, emphasized that the team truly earned this victory over the Bearcats. He commended their resilience in continuing to play basketball despite facing adversity, and now they are finally being rewarded with a well-deserved win.
“Today we made enough plays down the stretch to get a win,” said Campbell. “Our kids, they’ve earned this and I am so happy for them. Loved having Madison back. That kid has missed a huge stretch and didn’t skip a beat. Sydney had quite the performance, but it took a village, it took everybody and we found a way to get a great road win.”
Cincinnati struggled offensively, shooting only 27.8% from the field in the first quarter and trailed by three. However, TCU extended their lead to 23-16 with two consecutive threes. Going into halftime, TCU secured an eight-point lead after sinking eight three-pointers, leading 39-31.
Campbell emphasizes that Conner’s ability to apply pressure on the offense not only benefits other players like Harris but also enables the team to regain a familiar rhythm.
“Those two kids did a phenomenal job and it allows everybody to be in their more natural positions,” said Campbell.
Defensively, they found a way to get it done without a center, relying on Agnes Nnpou and Aaliyah Roberson to be bigger bodies down low.
“Defensively, we just found a way. It wasn’t pretty and we’ve struggled on the defensive end,” said Campbell. “We obviously don’t really have a center right now, and Aaliyah and Anges are battling it out. Those two kids filed out and we had five guards out there, and still got enough stops to get a win.”
TCU built its largest lead of the afternoon, 61-47, with Harris contributing 14 points. She spearheaded an 11-0 run that allowed TCU to maintain a double-digit lead. Cincinnati attempted to rally and mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, but the Bearcats’ efforts weren’t enough to overcome the Frogs.
Up next
TCU will continue on the road to face the BYU Cougars. Campbell provided hopeful insights into the potential return of the 6-foot-7 center, Sedona Prince. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Wednesday night at the Marriott Center.
