TCU vs Kansas ended with the No. 12 Horned Frogs pulling out a gritty 79–77 victory over the Jayhawks on Thursday night, thanks to clutch baskets from Olivia Miles and a tenacious performance from Donovyn Hunter. However, while the Horned Frogs escaped with the narrow win, fans are not happy with how the officiating was done in this game.

On paper, this is another strong win for the Horned Frogs. But in reality, it was a game that spiraled into a tense, whistle-heavy battle by the fourth quarter.

As soon as the game began, the Horned Frogs came out scorching in their first home game since Jan. 17. They drilled down three-pointers from multiple players to open up a quick 9–0 lead.

• Donovyn Hunter knocked down three shots from behind the arc in the first quarter.
• TCU’s perimeter shooting carried them into halftime with a 45–37 advantage, as the Horned Frogs hit eight threes in the first half and held Kansas without a made three-point shot.

But the Jayhawks refused to go away.

Even after falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Jayhawks flipped the game into a physical battle inside the paint.

Freshman forward Jaliya Davis attacked relentlessly inside, drawing contact, crashing the glass, and keeping Kansas alive at the free-throw line as she went on to score 29 points, secured 9 rebounds, and made 3 assists. Alongside S’Mya Nichols, who was the second-best scorer on the Jayhawks team, Kansas outscored TCU 46-30 in the paint, while also outrebounding them 33-26.

“Great battle, fun Big 12 game,” TCU head coach Mark Campbell said after the win, as per Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’m excited we were able to grind it out and win. We didn’t play great. I thought defensively we were not on point, I thought they were more aggressive for a majority of the game and had us on our heels, which is why they got to the free throw line a lot.”

Yet in the end, the Horned Frogs’ composure and teamwork kept them afloat in this very close game. However, if the fans had to take one takeaway from this game, they would point to the officiating, as many took to social media to voice their frustrations.

Fans furious over officiating in TCU vs. Kansas

As Kansas mounted its comeback, the game became increasingly physical, and the foul calls began piling up. The viewers felt the final stretch became less about execution and more about officiating decisions that disrupted the flow of an already tense finish.

“These refs are terrible in this game. My God,” one fan wrote. While another added, “The final five seconds of Kansas-No. 12 TCU is the worst reffed basketball I have ever seen.”

When the game kicked off in the fourth quarter, the Horned Frogs held a 9-point lead. However, what was supposed to be a nail-biting final 10 minutes quickly turned into a game of continuous stops. A total of 17 fouls were called in the final quarter, and the closing minutes became increasingly defined by stoppages and foul trouble.

Furthermore, one fan wrote, “Every official should never hold a whistle again.”

Whereas, another fan blaming the refs for trying to help the Jayhawks wrote, “These Big 12 referees in the #TCUvKansas women’s basketball game should never work again. They did everything they could to give it to Kansas. Worst officiating I’ve ever seen. @Big12Conference That can’t be acceptable. #gofrogs”

With less than six minutes left to play, the Jayhawks’ relentless interior attack eventually sent the Horned Frogs’ two starting forwards, Clara Silva and Marta Suarez, to the bench with five fouls.

Silva fouled out at the 5:37 mark, and Suarez followed just 32 seconds later at 5:05, leaving TCU suddenly shorthanded in the frontcourt. Moreover, Miles and Veronica Sheffey were both playing with four fouls, and Miles herself eventually fouled out as well with just 13 seconds remaining in the chaotic final stretch.

One fan summed up the feeling and wrote, “I really can’t describe how bad the officiating was at the end of this game.”

Despite the controversy, the Horned Frogs still found a way to close the game in their favor. For much of the NCAA community, though, the lasting image from Thursday night will be the chaotic, whistle-dominated finish that left everyone surprised.

Up next, the Horned Frogs will lock horns with the No. 21 Texas Tech Lady Raiders on February 2nd.