TCU’s Hailey Van Lith was all smiles after the last second of TCU’s Sweet 16 matchup against Notre Dame on Saturday.
It was the first time her team would be making the Elite Eight since the inception of the program.
“I was going to go out there and play as hard as I could to practice with these girls tomorrow,” Van Lith said.
She was out for war, not just helping her team achieve what they wouldn’t have thought possible, but breaking multiple records in her career.
She recorded 26 points and nine rebounds, presenting a stellar performance in a matchup that would change TCU’s basketball trajectory.
But Notre Dame did not come to play. They gave their opponents a fight. Towards the end of the third quarter, they were in the lead. Notre Dame’s player of the year candidate Hannah Hildago tried to deliver it to her team as she did in the last two quarters, but TCU’s defense was unbreakable. Every player on the court was ready to do what it took to win and Van Lith led the charge.
The star of TCU has been so consistently steadily progressing in her career and breaking both male and female basketball records.
This Elite Eight qualification is the fifth for Van Lith from three different schools. She has risen to the challenge and set the bar high for young and aspiring female basketballers.
The Tiger’s center, Sedona Prince was also really solid at the back. She blocked multiple attempts from Notre Dame’s offense and destabilized them.
TCU will face 1-seed Texas on Monday.
