TCU completes comeback, avoids Washington's NCAA Tournament upset bid

TCU completes comeback, avoids Washington's NCAA Tournament upset bid

FORT WORTH, TX —TCUwomen's basketball's62-59 overtime winoverWashingtonin the second round of theNCAA Tournamentwasn't pretty, but it was resilient and gritty.

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The No. 1 seed Horned Frogs were held to 19 points at halftime against the No. 6 seed Huskies and trailed by as many as 10 points in the matchup at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU's second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 was on the line, as was the team's NCAA-leading 43-game home win streak.

Frustrations started to boil over.

Senior guardOlivia Milesslammed her hand against the stanchion several times after Washington challenged an out-of-bounds call before TCU could inbound the ball with 2:31 remaining in the third quarter. The call was reversed to give the Huskies possession under their basket with a 35-30 lead and Miles quickly picked up a foul while going for a steal at the 2:23 mark. She argued with the referee during Washington's free throw attempts.

"I was crashing out multiple times. I was angry. I was feeling all the emotions because I didn't want to go home," Miles said. "I don't want to let my team down. And (my teammates), especially Taylor (Bigby), she was in my ears, 'Just keep creating, keep scoring and keep being aggressive.' And I listened to them. I trust. It'd be a disservice for me not to be resilient for them."

Olivia Miles celebrates following the overtime victory over Washington.

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Miles led the charge in the second half and TCU outscored Washington 32-24 in the second half to force overtime. Miles had a look at a game-winning 3-pointer in the final possession of the game, a shot Miles practiced hundreds of times and "thought was going in," she said.

"I was distraught afterwards," Miles added. "My teammates had to calm me down a little bit."

The Horned Frogs quickly composed themselves and recovered to go on a 7-0 run to start overtime. The team credited the rowdy crowd that showed up at Schollmaier Arena on a Sunday evening for a 9 p.m. CT tip off.

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"I don't think we win this game today without the crowd," Miles added. "We needed the crowd behind us ... that was a game changer for us. Marta (Suarez) kept telling us, 'A few buckets will get the crowd in it, a few buckets will get the crowd in it.' And she was right. I think when we went on that little run... it was the loudest that I've ever heard it in the (Schollmaier Arena)."

"Just a testament to what (head coach Mark Campbell) built here and his ability to rally the community," Miles added. "Getting older fans out at 9:00 PM on a Sunday... it's just a love in this community. So vibrant, just so electric."

<p style=A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nebraska Cornhuskers fans cheer after defeating the Troy Trojans during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City. The Ohio State Buckeyes cheerleaders perform in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC. A view of Buddy the Street Dog as Queens University of Charlotte Royals guard Yoav Berman talks to the media during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on March 19, 2026. The High Point Panthers band performs prior to a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or. High Point Panthers fans cheer prior to a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or. The Wisconsin Badgers cheerleaders preform during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or. The South Florida Bulls mascot performs during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, NY. The Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleaders perform in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC. The Troy Trojans mascot dances on the floor during the second half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City. The UCF Knights band performs during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 19, 2026 in Philadelphia. Nebraska Cornhuskers cheerleaders perform during the second half against the Troy Trojans during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City. A Wisconsin Badgers cheerleader performs during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.

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A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's2026 NCAATournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.

Despite opening the game shooting 2-of-11 from the field, Miles went on to score 14 of her 18 points in TCU's second-half comeback. Miles finished two assists away from her second consecutive triple-double with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

TCU head coach Mark Campbell called it "the quietest almost triple-double."

"Could not be more proud of this group," head coach Mark Campbell said. "That was just a gritty, resilient game. We were down the whole time. And just stayed into fight. We grinded that thing out, got it to overtime. And then we finally got finally broke loose and hit some shots and got a seven point lead. And we were able to get that across the finish line."

Clara Silva finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Taylor Bigby added 15 points in the win.

The Horned Frogs advance to play the winner of No. 2 Iowa or No. 10 Virginia in the Sweet 16 in Sacramento, California, on Saturday, March 28.

Reach USA TODAY National Women's Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:TCU completes comeback, escapes with March Madness win over Washington

 

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