Van Lith leads TCU to first Elite Eight berth

NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT

Explodes for 26 points in victory over Notre Dame

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TCU guard Hailey Van Lith, right, drives to the basket against Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo during the first half of an NCAA Sweet 16 game on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala. GERALD HERBERT — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Doug Feinberg

The Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. >> TCU is in unchartered territory thanks to Hailey Van Lith, reaching the Elite Eight for the first time.

It sure seems like business as usual for the dynamic guard.

Van Lith scored 12 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter to help second-seeded TCU beat No. 3 seed Notre Dame 71-62 on Saturday in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

“That game was unbelievable. That’s what March Madness is all about,” TCU coach Mark Campbell said. “Amazing team effort, incredible defensive effort. The fight and spirit this group showed in the second half is what you have to do in March.”

Sedona Prince added 21 points for the Horned Frogs (34-3), who will play Texas or Tennessee on Monday night.

With the game tied at 52 early in the fourth, Van Lith took over. She scored five of the next six points for TCU to give the team the lead. Every run that the Fighting Irish made, Van Lith and the Horned Frogs had an answer.

“My message to the girls right before we went out for the fourth quarter is we’re going to be steady, and that’s what won us the game,” Van Lith said.

Van Lith, who started her career at Louisville before transferring to LSU last season and then TCU this past year, is on her way to a regional final for the fifth time.

Notre Dame (28-6) was trying to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019. The Irish have lost in the Sweet 16 the past four years.

Liatu King scored 17 points for the Irish. Hannah Hidalgo had 15 and Olivia Miles finished with 10. But the star backcourt was a combined 6 for 29 from the field.

“We literally were just missing shots that we normally make and that’s going to happen at times,” Miles said.

Notre Dame got off to a slow start before rallying for a 35-33 halftime lead. Neither team led by more than four points in the second quarter.

The teams met in November in a Thanksgiving tournament in the Cayman Islands, and the Horned Frogs came away with a victory after rallying from a 14-point deficit. The Irish were missing Maddy Westbeld and Liza Karlen for that game.