No. 17 TCU women’s basketball delivered a historic upset Friday night, defeating No. 3 Notre Dame 76-68 in the Cayman Islands Classic.
Trailing 14 points late in the third quarter, the Horned Frogs mounted an extraordinary fourth-quarter comeback, outscoring the Fighting Irish 31-12 in the final frame to secure the biggest win in program history.
The game appeared out of reach when Notre Dame took a 56-45 advantage entering the fourth quarter. The Irish had not lost under fifth-year head coach Niele Ivey when holding a double-digit lead entering the fourth quarter.
But everything changed in a 72-second span when Madison Conner sparked an 8-0 run with back-to-back 3-pointers. Hailey Van Lith’s slip layup off a turnover capped the momentum-shifting sequence.
Van Lith tied the game at 61-61 near the five-minute mark. The Horned Frogs then seized control with a decisive 10-0 run, featuring back-to-back 3-pointers from Agnes Emma-Nnopu and Taylor Bigby.
TCU’s defense held Notre Dame to just 5 for 20 shooting in the fourth quarter while the Horned Frogs connected on 11 of 18 attempts.
Van Lith led the team with 21 points, including 19 in the second half, while Sedona Prince recorded 20 points, 20 rebounds, eight blocks, four assists and three steals.
And we never looked back 🔊 pic.twitter.com/GstyUdtOKV
— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) November 30, 2024
Prince’s 20 rebounds are the most by any Division I player against a ranked team this season, and she made history as the first NCAA player to record at least 20 rebounds and eight blocks against an AP Top Five opponent.
Conner finished with 18 points, while Emma-Nnopu added eight crucial points off the bench, six of which came in the final quarter.
The victory marked TCU’s fifth all-time win over an AP Top Five team and its first-ever triumph against Notre Dame. The Horned Frogs improved to 7-0 on the season, Â joining South Carolina as one of the only two programs to defeat two preseason AP Top 10 teams.
