FORT WORTH, Texas – Big West champion and No. 14 seed UC San Diego fell 86-40 at third-seeded and 14th-ranked TCU on Friday in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship from the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.  

The double-trophy Tritons were making back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament in their first two years of Division I eligibility and cap the year with a 24-9 mark with consecutive 20-win seasons. All told, 2026 is the 20th NCAA postseason appearance for UCSD (13 DII, 5 DIII).  

The Tritons were led by Erin Condron’s 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Rosa Smith added seven points with a pair of assists with senior Sabrina Ma adding seven points with six boards. Dymonique Maxie made a notable impact on defense, recording a game-high four steals. Freshman Lev Feiman also shined defensively with two blocks with six points. 

The Horned Frogs established control early and never relinquished the upper hand throughout the game, taking advantage of the 11-day break between games to come into March Madness refreshed and ready for the first round home contest. 

The tallest team in the country on average was able to use their length to their advantage throughout every facet of the game. The senior-laden Horned Frogs team capitalized with a 56-58 rebounding advantage with 13-three pointers hitting on 50 percent of their attempts from distance. The TCU squad blocked 10 UCSD shots to stifle any Triton opportunities to score from the paint.  

Notably, four-time All-American and graduate transfer Olivia Miles finished the day with a triple-double of 12 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists in the contest. Taylor Bigby led the scoring 27 points with a 7-of-9 shooting effort from the perimeter.  Clara Silva also grabbed a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds with Marta Suárez adding an 11-point, 10-rebound effort. The 23 team assists stands as a new TCU single-game high. 
 

The Horned Frogs have now extended their NCAA-leading home winning streak to 43 consecutive and are 11-0 in all postseason contests held inside Schollmaier Arena. 
 

TCU improves to 30-5 on the year with consecutive 30-win seasons, the only two years in program history to pass the plateau. The Horned Frogs now advance to play the winner of the second game in Fort Worth between No. 6 seed Washington and 11th-seeded South Dakota State.