Hailey Van Lith was instrumental in TCU’s upset win over No. 3-ranked Notre Dame in the Cayman Islands Classic.
Throughout the contest, the No. 17-ranked Horned Frogs found themselves battling the Fighting Irish at every turn, winning only the second quarter, 18-14, to enter the halftime break down 35-29. In the third quarter, Van Lith and TCU trailed by as many as 14 points, but it was clear that the star guard was not going down without a fight.
In the second half alone, Van Lith scored 20 points, helping TCU win the fourth quarter 31-12 to upset the No. 3-ranked Notre Dame 76-68. Of note, the Horned Frogs win was the highest-ranked win in program history and is the team’s first top-5 win since 2008.
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Van Lith finished with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field to go along with seven assists and three rebounds, while Sedona Prince chipped in 20 points for her own and grabbed 20 rebounds, blocked eight shots, dished out four assists, and had three steals in the win. TCU remains undefeated as Notre Dame dropped to 5-1.
For the Fighting Irish, Hannah Hidalgo led the way with 27 points on 9-of-22 shooting from the field, including 8-of-10 from the free throw line. She also had nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals in her 40 minutes of action, which saw her shooting 1 of 4 from beyond the arc.
What helped TCU overcome its second-half deficit was its hot shooting from the field. In the fourth quarter, the Horned Frogs shot 61 percent from the field and nailed 44 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc (4 of 9) in the come from behind win.
Hailey Van Lith scored 20 of her 21 points in the second half to lead TCU over Notre Dame (
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Van Lith’s ability to lead TCU to its impressive win over Notre Dame – who recently handily defeated JuJu Watkins and USC just days prior – showcases her evolution as a leader and player. While at LSU, it appeared as if the star didn’t mesh well with the cast of players on the roster.
As a result, her lone season in Baton Rouge did not end well, with the 23-year-old transferring to TCU after the season ended. After transferring to TCU, Van Lith explained how she is enjoying the process more and is embracing the change she is undergoing from her time at LSU.
“I’m really kind of transforming into a new player,” she said before TCU’s matchup with Idaho State. “Before, I was like, ‘Hailey would score and get buckets,’ and now I’m the playmaker. [Now] I’m trying to play how-you-want-it basketball. I’m enjoying it, and it’s gonna get even better.”
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey also spoke about having Van Lith in the program and seeing the star struggle. In April, the legendary head coach praised the guard for doing what she needed to do for her career.
“And she realized, ‘I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position,’” Mulkey said at the time. “And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well.
“She wanted to improve her strengths by coming to LSU with a goal of expanding her game by learning a position that I played my entire life because she knows at the next level that’s her only chance – to be able to tell them somewhat, ‘I can handle the ball if you need me to.’
“She had to embrace a change in her mindset of not shooting it 20-30 times a game, but finding who’s open and getting them the ball. And sometimes it was hard because she would be pressured, and she’d be pounding the heck out of that ball.”
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