After riding on a 14-game win streak, the Horned Frogs could not believe their luck when they came up short against an underdog side in the form of the Utah Utes. The game that could have swayed either way eventually went in favor of the home team in Salt Lake City, courtesy of some brilliant play by the entire team, especially Lani White (25 points),  Reese Ross (15 points), and Maty Wilke (12 points). Utah’s coach, Gavin Petersen, was undeniably ecstatic about the victory but was also gracious in acknowledging TCU’s caliber as a team.

“TCU is a phenomenal team that people are still chasing. … They’re still the team to beat, so yes, absolutely (it’s a) staple win.” said coach Gavin Petersen without any arrogance of stopping the dreaded TCU’s unstoppable march towards victory and also giving their opponents due credit on how they are setting the benchmark for others.

In fact, the victory at the Big 12 came last year itself when the team registered a win against the powerful Baylor (51-48), at Foster Pavilion to claim the outright Big 12 regular season title. That too, for the first time in history, making it a momentous occasion for everyone involved. Moreover, the fact that it came against one of their old rivals in Baylor made it that much more satisfying.

TCU, over the last two years, has become a formidable opponent for any team. Who knows, they might even have racked up a better win streak last year had it not been for the South Carolina Gamecocks, who gave them their first loss in their 10th game.

Except for that solitary loss, the team’s track record was blemish-free, and they had even managed to subdue Utah easily in their last year’s encounter – 81-73

While the Utes have earned the right to rejoice after such a captivating win, the Horned Frogs locker will understandably be gloomy after losing out on this game. After dismantling BYU in such brutal fashion (72-48), they were in for a rude awakening.

The mood will be sombre for all the players involved, especially Olivia Miles, who had the best game against the Utes.

Miles 31 point Effort Goes in Vain

Olivia Miles did all the heavy lifting for TCU, even when the team struggled to find its range from beyond the perimeter (23%). She scored her game-high of 31 points and the Utes were really having a hard time defending her.

She was aggressive from the get-go, and her handles inside the paint were a treat to the eyes. Going past players, passing to teammates, she did it all and with precision.  Even her layups proved to be a handful for the players screening her.

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Irrespective of the distance Miles was shooting from, the ball still managed to find the basket. Naturally, when the game ended, she had the most enviable statistic on board – 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Marta Suarez proved to be the perfect accomplice for Olivia, as she, too, lit up the paint with her power, scoring 23 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out 2 assists. But even then, the team had to settle for a loss, which must have felt like a punch to the gut for Mark Campbell and his ladies.

Well, basketball has always been a game of wins and losses, and sometimes, after a great run, unexpected events occur. And this was one such incident for the Horned Frogs.

Who knows, maybe losing against Gavin Petersen’s team would probably turn out to be a blessing in disguise, and this undefeated team will come out even stronger than ever before against Oklahoma and Arizona State.

Olivia will certainly hope so, as she wouldn’t want to overshadow her career highlight moments with grief any further.