Marta Suarez, Olivia Miles combine for 61 points, power TCU rally past Virginia into Elite 8
· Yahoo Sports
After upending No. 2 seed Iowa in the second round, 10th-seeded Virginia looked game early for another upset on Saturday.
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But No. 3 TCU rallied from first-quarter and halftime deficits to take over in a 79-69 Sweet 16 win.
But the Horned Frogs controlled the game from the start of the third quarter. TCU opened the quarter on an 11-0 run to turn a 36-35 halftime deficit into a 46-36 lead.
By the start of the fourth, TCU held a a 59-47 advantage and had seized control of the game. It extended its lead to as much as 15 points.
The Cavaliers cut their deficit to six points in the final 30 seconds. But ultimately, a Virginia team that scored two upset wins to get to the Sweet 16 ran out of answers.
Suarez, Miles combine for 61 of TCU’s 79 points
The rally was largely a two-woman effort as All Big 12 guards Marta Suarez and Olivia Miles combined for 61 points. Suarez led all scorers with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. She got hot from 3 in a 4-of-7 effort from long distance. Her 33 points were a career high.
A three-time All-American and the hero of TCU’s overtime rally past Washington in the second round, Miles flirted with a triple-double, tallying 28 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. She shot 11 of 14 from the field.
Can TCU challenge South Carolina?
With the win, TCU advances to face 1 seed South Carolina in Monday’s Sacramento 4 regional final. The winner of that game will advance to the Final Four. South Carolina cruised past Oklahoma earlier Saturday.
Winners of two of the last three NCAA championships and seeking their sixth straight Final Four, the Gamecocks will be the favorites in Monday’s game. TCU will need another big effort from their All-conference backcourt duo to have a chance to advance to Phoenix.
Virginia’s Cinderella story from First Four ends in Sweet 16
Virginia, meanwhile, comes up short of its quest to crash the Elite Eight as a double-digit seed and First Four team. The Cavaliers made the field as one of the last four at-large teams in, then advanced to the main tournament field with a First Four win over Arizona State.
From there, Virginia beat 7 seed Georgia in overtime in the first round. It then beat No. 2 seed Iowa in two overtimes in the second round for the biggest upset of the tournament.
Virginia gave TCU a game early on Saturday, but ultimately couldn’t extend its Cinderella story past the Sweet 16.
Paris Clark led Virginia with 20 points in the loss. Kymora Johnson added 18 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds as Virginia shot better from 3 (8 of 18, 44.4%) than it did from the field (41%).
The Cavaliers couldn’t overcome the efforts from Suarez and Miles as TCU shot 51.7% from the field and 38.9% (7 of 18) from 3.