The early season upsets continue in women's college basketball, this time to a team who recently scored one of those stunning wins. No. 17 TCU upset No. 3 Notre Dame on Friday during the 2024 Cayman Islands Classic thanks to an incredible fourth-quarter rally, 76-68. This was the Horned Frogs' first win over an AP top-five opponent since 2008, snapping an 18-game losing streak.
TCU center Sedona Prince had a huge game with 20 points, 20 rebounds and eight blocks. She is just the fourth Division I player since 2000 to put up that kind of stat line, joining Natasha Mack, Brooke Salas and Sophia Ederaine. It has been a special week for her, as just a few days earlier she officially reached 1,000 career points.
LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith got hot late in the game and was also a key contributor with 21 points and seven assists. Madison Conner was the other double-digit scorer with 18 points.
The Irish led Friday's game by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, but they were outscored 31-12 in the fourth while struggling to make much of anything. Notre Dame went just 5 of 20 from the field in the fourth quarter. Hannah Hidalgo led Irish's efforts with 27 points and nine rebounds.
This one's built different@haileyvanlith | #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/SjLxEkg1M6
— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) November 29, 2024
This game was just another example of how competitive this season has been despite still just being November. Notre Dame had entered the 2024-25 campaign ranked in the top 10, but the expectations got higher after the Fighting Irish took down then-No. 3 USC in Los Angeles on Nov. 23.
Meanwhile, TCU entered the season unranked, but a win against a ranked NC State on Nov. 17 helped the Frogs enter the poll at No. 19 -- which at the time was their best ranking in 16 years. Mark Campbell is coaching one of the hottest programs in the nation after taking over the Horned Frogs in 2023.
