TCU Wins First Big 12 Basketball Championship!

Sunday, March 2

Waco, Texas

5:30 PM

TCU

28-3,16-2Big 12

Baylor

25-6,15-3Big 12

TCU

Baylor

TCU Wins First Big 12 Basketball Championship!

3/2/2025 10:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Postgame Press Conference

Frogs punctuate college basketball's greatest turnaround with outright regular season title

WACO, Texas – For the first time in school history, the Big 12 Basketball Championship belongs to TCU.

In a season littered with program-firsts, the 10^th-ranked Horned Frogs achieved the ultimate milestone, defeating Baylor, 51-48, at Foster Pavilion to claim the outright Big 12 regular season title.

The championship punctuates one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college basketball. TCU finished dead last in Big 12 play two years ago at 8-23 overall and 1-17 in league play. On Sunday, the Horned Frogs (28-3, 16-2 Big 12) became the second team in the 28-year history of the league to win a regular season championship within two seasons of finishing in last place.

The fact TCU took down its oldest rival to break through made the achievement even more significant. Baylor (26-6, 15-3 Big 12), entered Sunday's winner-take-all tilt – the first in conference history – as winners of 13 of the last 19 conference championships. Prior to the 2024-25 campaign, TCU endured a 35-year losing streak to the national power. Combined with an 80-75 victory in January, TCU became one of just three teams in the last 11 years to pitch a season sweep of the Bears.

TCU won its fourth regular season championship in 48 seasons of existence and first since claiming the crown in the Mountain West circa 2010.

The Frogs used an 11-3 extended scoring run to assume a 49-39 lead with 1:49 remaining. Baylor whittled the contest down to a one possession affair. TCU shot 3-8 at the foul line over the game's final 30 seconds.

A 3-poiner from Yaya Felder (17 points) clanged off the back iron with two seconds to go. TCU corralled the rebound but missed both free throws, affording Baylor a desperation half court heave that fell well short of the rim.

TCU held a Baylor squad averaging a conference-leading 79.7 points per game to season low in points, field goal percentage (.277, 18-65) and 3-pointers (two). Baylor missed its first 11 field goals in the fourth quarter as TCU built its double-digit lead.

Sedona Prince posted an absurd 19-rebound, 16-point double-double. She scored 10 points in the first quarter to stake TCU to an early 12-7 advantage.

It was a full circle moment for Prince. The 6-7 center suffered a fractured finger on the first possession of last season-s 71-50 defeat to the Bears that set off a spiral of injuries that culminated with TCU forfeiting two games and forced to hold open tryouts.

Fast forward 14 months and Prince became one of only two players in the last decade to hang multiple double-doubles against the Bears. Prince also notched her fifth double-double vs. a ranked team this season, tops among all Big 12 players and fourth-most nationally.

Hailey Van Lith joined Prince in double figures with 14 points. The pair of Wooden Award candidates scored TCU's first 19 points. Van Lith beat the buzzer to close the first half with a deep jumper from the left key that gave TCU a 27-21 lead entering the locker room.

Sandwiched between Van Lith's step-back were back-to-back 3-pointers from Donovyn Hunter and Agnes Emma-Nnopu that snapped a 19-19 gridlock.

Hunter finished with a game-high five assists while Emma-Nnopu snagged seven rebounds.

A 3-pointer from Madison Conner commenced the third quarter and appeared to firmly swing the momentum in TCU's favor. Baylor punched back with a 13-2 run spanning 3:45 to briefly lead, 34-32. TCU scored on its ensuing pair of possessions via free throws from Prince and a second-chance layup by Taylor Bigby. Prince swished a midrange jumper with 1:07 left in the period to give TCU the lead for good in a game that featured four lead changes and five ties.

Bigby and Emma-Nnopu sparked TCU's scoring surge to open the fourth with consecutive 3-pointers. Conner connected in transition and delivered what proved to be the dagger, opening up a 47-38 advantage with 4:26 to go.

TCU finished with a 46-38 edge on the glass vs. the Bears, who lead the league in rebounding (42.1 rpg).

Baylor was led by 17 points and 10 rebounds from Aaronette Vonleh.

Up Next
TCU locked up the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Championship and will enjoy a double by into the quarterfinals. The Horned Frogs face No. 8 seed Arizona, No. 9 Colorado or No. 16 Houston at 1:30 p.m. on Friday from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., depending on results from the opening rounds.

Team Notes

TCU claimed its seventh all-time regular season or conference tournament championship.
The Horned Frogs claimed the 15th regular season conference championship in TCU men's or women's basketball history.
TCU became the 11th program in the history of the Big 12 to win a regular season women's basketball championship.
The Horned Frogs' increase of 10 conference wins from last season is the biggest year-over win improvement in conference play by a Big 12 team.
TCU won its first road game vs. a ranked team in 19 tries. The Frogs' most recent triumph over a ranked team on the road came on Jan. 3, 2020, in a 65-63 takedown of No. 25 Texas in Austin.
TCU improved to a conference-leading 6-2 against the AP Top 25.
TCU held Baylor to its fewest first half points scored all season.
TCU took a lead into halftime for an NCAA-leading 29^th time in 2024-25. The Frogs topped the scoreboard in all 18 of their Big 12 bouts.
TCU broke its single-season assists record midway through the third quarter, dishing out its 593^rd dime. The 2017-18 squad recorded 592 across 36 games and held the record for the past six seasons. The Horned Frogs finished with 13 assists for the game and increased their season tally to 596.
Baylor became the 14^th team in 2024-25 TCU has held to 50-or-fewer points.
TCU has prevented 24 of a possible 30 opponents from meeting their season scoring average.
The Frogs notched only their second victory in the past two seasons when scoring less than 60 points.
TCU won in Waco for the first time since a 73-70 victory on Jan. 27, 1990.

Individual Notes

Prince came one rebound shy of matching the career-high 20 she recorded in the Frogs' 76-68 win over No. 3 Notre Dame in the Cayman Islands Classic.
Prince finished with a double-double for the 13^th time in 23 career Big 12 games.
Prince scored 10 points in the first quarter of a game for the second time. She first did so in TCU's 80-73 victory at Kansas on Jan. 8 on her way to a game-high 30 points.
Across her three career outings vs. Baylor, Prince is averaging 20 points, 12.3 rebounds and three blocks per game at the Bears' expense.
Van Lith claimed her first conference championship since helping Louisville top the ACC as a freshman in 2021.
Van Lith has scored in double figures in all eight of TCU's games vs. ranked opposition.
Emma-Nnopu won her sixth career conference regular season or tournament championship.
Conner, Bigby and Hunter combined for 15 of TCU's 24 second half points.
Hunter tallied 32 assists over TCU's seven-game winning streak to close the regular season.
Conner moved within 23 three-pointers of matching the Big 12 single-season record.
By virtue of Sunday's championship, head coach Mark Campbell's teams have all met or exceeded their preseason conference projections. TCU was tabbed fourth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll.
Campbell has led both of his programs to a regular season title within his first two seasons at the helm.
Campbell swelled his combined career year-over win differential to 42 games.
Campbell has facilitated the largest combined year-over-year win improvement of any Power Conference head coach over the last two seasons at 19 games.