No. 15 TCU didn’t just beat Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday night. The Horned Frogs put the game away almost immediately and kept adding to the margin in a 106-47 rout at Schollmaier Arena.
The tone was set early, and it changed fast from the team that had to work through a little resistance against Iona on Tuesday. This time, TCU (5-0) came out firing from deep and buried eight 3-pointers in the first half alone, racing to a 59-16 halftime lead.
“A great performance, I think this was our best 40 minutes of basketball so far this season,” TCU coach Mark Campbell said. “I thought our kids were focused from the jump, very intentional.”
Lanie Grant, the North Carolina transfer, was the spark. She scored 12 of her 14 points in the opening half and knocked down four 3-pointers before the break. Grant helped ignite an 8-0 start with a made 3 and then set up the next two baskets with assists during the run.
Her shooting kept stretching the floor, but her playmaking stood out just as much. Grant finished with seven assists, a career high for the junior, and added another layer to what TCU can do offensively.
“She’s one of the best shooters in the country, but her ability to attack off the dribble and make the right play... it’s incredible,” Campbell said. “Laney is a true combo.
She could play point, she could play off the ball. I would say she’s been one of the neatest surprises of this new portal group.”
TCU’s pressure defense made the first half even uglier for Southeastern Louisiana. The Horned Frogs pressed full court and forced 21 turnovers before halftime, turning those mistakes into 33 points. Six different TCU players recorded steals in the half, and the Lions ended the opening 20 minutes with as many shot attempts as turnovers.
“The first half I thought our press was very disruptive and forced a lot of turnovers,” Campbell said.
By the time the game got into the second half, the result was long settled. Still, junior center Clara Silva made sure TCU kept punishing the Lions inside. She scored six straight points to push the lead to 68-18, using her size in the pick-and-roll to carve up the front court.
Silva, the lone returning starter from last year’s Elite Eight team, finished with a team-high 20 points, eight rebounds and a block.
The scoring was spread all over the roster. Ten Horned Frogs scored, and six of them reached double figures. Lara Somfai had 15 points, Claudia Contell added 14, Clara Bielefeld scored 12 and Laura Vilcinskas finished with 10.
“I think (the depth) is great because if someone’s having an off day, someone coming off the bench is gonna do an amazing job,” Silva said. “I think it’s great just knowing that we have such a complete team, weapons everywhere. It’s hard to guard it.”
For TCU, the early stretch has done more than pad the win column. With nine new players on the roster, including multiple underclassmen, these lopsided games have helped the Horned Frogs build confidence and sort out rotations before the schedule tightens later this month with two games against Power Four conference opponents.
TCU returns home to face Abilene Christian at 2 p.m. Sunday at Schollmaier Arena.
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For a team looking to sort out its rotation, Avila adds both depth and a skill set that could change how the front line functions. His arrival gives the Horned Frogs more flexibility in how they piece together lineups, and it also creates an early question worth watching closely: how quickly he fits, and how prominently he factors into the mix once the games start. [Read more 🡒]