Houston guard Kyndall Hunter (7) dribbles against TCU during the third quarter of an NCAA women’s basketball game, Wednesday, February 18, 2026, in Houston, Texas. | Tasneem Monib/The Cougar
The Houston Cougars (7-19, 1-14 Big 12) suffered a devastating 72-50 loss at the hands of the TCU Horned Frogs (24-3, 12-3 Big 12) on Feb. 18 at the Fertitta Center. The matchup marked the second time these teams faced off this month. The Cougars lead the all-time series 30-18.
Game Recap
In the first quarter, Houston’s junior forward Jorynn Ross helped kickstart the Cougars’ offense with a layup resulting from a recovered rebound. Three TCU turnovers resulted in Houston senior guard Briana Peguero and graduate forward Amirah Abdur-Rahim scoring; two of those points came from Peguero’s free throws.
TCU struggled to limit defensive fouls, as Houston scored 20 of its total points from the free-throw line.
Despite these errors, TCU led 41-19 at halftime and continued to capitalize on its success until the end of the matchup. Peguero sustained a minor injury in the third quarter but was able to make a quick recovery and return to play in the fourth quarter.
The Cougars made improvements in the fourth quarter, with graduate guard Kyndall Hunter securing seven of the team’s 13 points in the final period. TCU scored nine points during the last quarter.
Two notable Houston players were Hunter, who scored 20 points, and graduate guard TK Pitts, who recorded 11 rebounds in the matchup alone. Abdur-Rahim was the second-highest scorer for Houston, adding 7 points.
Eyes were on Pitts as she nearly reached her career milestone of 500 total rebounds. She now needs nine more rebounds to achieve the milestone.
TCU’s graduate guard Olivia Miles and graduate forward Marta Suarez combined for 39 points. Additionally, nearly 50 percent of TCU’s total points were scored from 3-point range.
What Happens Next?
TCU is currently ranked first in the Big 12 Conference. Head coach Mark Campbell said after the game, “We have two team goals. One is to compete for a league championship … the second goal is to position ourselves to host March Madness.”
The top 16 seeds in NCAA women’s basketball are given the opportunity to host early-round tournament games. TCU is ranked No. 12 overall.
Following the game, Cougars head coach Matthew Mitchell said, “I thought you saw a lot of improvement from the last time we were in Fort Worth. I’m really proud of the players for coming out and competing tonight. We worked hard, but TCU just had a little too much.”
This is Mitchell’s first year as head coach at Houston after coaching at Kentucky from 2007 to 2020.
The Cougars will face off against Arizona State (21-7, 8-7 Big 12) at Desert Financial Arena on Saturday, Feb. 20. The teams last met in January 2025, with Arizona State winning the previous matchup 69-60.
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