BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — With sweat on her brow and blood on her knee, Hailey Van Lith raised her fists to the ceiling in triumph because the clock expired in TCU’s Candy 16 matchup with Notre Dame on Saturday. The sport used to be over, however her season, her occupation used to be now not.
Van Lith scored 26 issues and grabbed 9 rebounds to ship TCU to a 71-62 victory over Notre Dame and into the primary Elite 8 in program historical past. Van Lith set TCU’s single-season scoring report (663) and her 26 issues have been a single-game NCAA match report for this system. She single-handedly outscored Notre Dame 12-10 within the ultimate quarter.
“I used to be going to head available in the market and play as onerous as I may to apply with those women the following day,” Van Lith stated.
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The storied occupation that introduced at Louisville and stalled at LSU gets every other bankruptcy at TCU.
“Going into this recreation, I used to be truly simply going to head and haven’t any regrets,” stated Van Lith, the Large 12 participant of the 12 months and newcomer of the 12 months. “I wasn’t going to place any force on myself to essentially win. I used to be going to head available in the market and feature amusing and play with the enjoyment that God gave me.”
With 3:29 to head within the 3rd quarter, Van Lith backpedaled as Hannah Hidalgo charged towards the rim. Notre Dame’s participant of the 12 months candidate rose for a layup with the Irish main TCU by way of 5. Van Lith held her flooring, reached out along with her left hand and blocked Hidalgo’s shot. Status below the basket, she grabbed the ball. Van Lith paused. She gave Hidalgo a glance. Handiest then did she ship the hole cross.
“I believe Hailey’s a canine, total,” TCU senior Madison Conner stated. “Irrespective of if it is at the offensive finish or at the defensive finish, she will do anything else it takes to win. She has that aggressive edge.”
It is an edge honed via enjoy.
This will probably be Van Lith’s 5th Elite 8 look along with her 3rd workforce. She’s the primary participant — in males’s and girls’s basketball — to succeed in that feat. Van Lith spent the primary 3 seasons of her occupation at Louisville, the place she scored 1,553 issues. She performed in 3 Elite 8 video games and the 2022 Ultimate 4 with the Cardinals. Remaining season, Van Lith joined LSU and used to be a part of the Tigers’ Elite 8 run.
“5 Elite Eights at 3 other colleges is insane,” TCU trainer Mark Campbell stated.
Notre Dame trainer Niele Ivey stated she may really feel Van Lith grabbing the momentum as the sport persevered.
“I believe like she noticed the ball entering into and he or she kinda rose,” Ivey stated. “It is advisable inform her power, her self belief used to be getting more potent, play by way of play. I assumed she made some truly just right defensive performs as neatly. That is that degree the place nice avid gamers emerge. I assumed she had a truly entire recreation.”
The 5-foot-9 graduate scholar additionally gained a bronze medal with Group USA in 3×3 basketball on the Paris Olympics over the summer time. She is a projected first-round pick out in subsequent month’s WNBA draft.
TCU held Notre Dame to 31.9% taking pictures from the ground and 20% from 3-point vary. The Irish’s generally potent backcourt of Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron shot a mixed 10-of-42 from the ground. Notre Dame’s 10 issues within the fourth quarter have been its fewest in any quarter all season.
“No offense to them, but it surely used to be truly not anything they did to change us,” Miles stated. “Clearly Sedona is in there. She used to be blockading photographs, that is one issue, however we actually have been simply lacking photographs that we generally make and that is the reason going to occur every now and then.”
TCU heart Sedona Prince contributed 21 issues, six rebounds and 6 blocks for the Horned Frogs.
TCU will face 1-seed Texas on Monday.
