The perfect season is over. No. 9 TCU women's basketball entered Sunday's game against No. 3 South Carolina with a perfect 8-0 record. South Carolina dealt TCU an alarming defeat, though, as the final score was 85-52. TCU star Hailey Van Lith shared her thoughts on her team's performance following the game, via Matthew Postins.
"I mean, we have to have a positive response," Van Lith said. "It's early in the season. We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds in this game... We just played on our heels. We let them be the aggressor all game long. That's something we can fix, so that's the good part about it... Hopefully we get another shot at a game like this later down the road."
South Carolina entered the game as the No. 3 seed, as they were previously defeated by UCLA. Still, they have been one of the best teams in women's college basketball over the years, something that was evident on Sunday night.
MiLaysia Fulwiley led the way with 20 points in South Carolina's victory. Te-Hina Paopao added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists while Raven Johnson scored 11 points as well.
For TCU, Van Lith attempted to keep her team in the game. She did not receive much help from her teammates, however. Van Lith finished the contest with 21 points, a mark that led all scorers. She added six assists. No other TCU player scored more than eight points, though.
TCU should still be encouraged overall despite the difficult loss. They have started the season strong, and the entire team has stepped up more often than not. Sunday's game was challenging, but South Carolina features the potential of an elite team. TCU should remain confident moving forward.
TCU women's basketball hoping to bounce back as soon as possible
TCU will have some time to prepare for their next matchup, as they will play Louisiana Tech next Sunday. They will then play Samford on December 17 before a game against UCF on December 21.
TCU should have a good opportunity to bounce back against their upcoming unranked opponents. Of course, they still need to play with high energy to avoid potential upsets. Perhaps their loss to South Carolina will serve as a wake-up call.
Hailey Van Lith and TCU women's basketball will hope to get back on track as soon as possible following their defeat against South Carolina on Sunday night.