TCU Women's Basketball forfeits two games due to injuries within program

TCU Women’s Basketball will not participate in their next two scheduled games against Kansas State and Iowa State, and instead will forfeit since they do not have enough available players.

Here was the release from the TCU Athletics website:

“TCU’s games vs. No. 7 Kansas State and at No. 24 Iowa State on Wednesday and Saturday have been cancelled. The cancellations are a result of injuries within the TCU program and ensure the health and safety of the program’s student-athletes.”

The release noted the forfeits will count towards the team’s Big 12 record but will not count towards their overall record.

“Both contests will count as a forfeit for TCU in accordance with Big 12 rules. The games will not be made up. The forfeits will only impact the Horned Frogs’ Big 12 win-loss record.”

As for those who planned to attend the games, here is what they can do with their tickets:

“Fans who purchased tickets to Wednesday’s game against Kansas State may exchange them for tickets to any remaining home game based on availability. No refunds will be issued.”

TCU had started out the season 14-0 and appeared to be Big 12 contenders, even winning their first conference game by 14 points against BYU. However, they’ve since lost four straight and will drop to 1-6 in the Big 12 thanks to the forfeits.

Injuries struck soon after that 14-0 start as leading scorer Sedona Prince suffered a hand injury back in the first week of January that will sideline her for up to a month, including the forfeited games.

Then, most recently, senior point guard Jaden Owens also went down with a long-term injury. According to the TCU site, Owens “suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in her right knee and will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season.” That announcement came the day before news of the forfeits.

Those are ACL and meniscus tears, among the worst possible injuries for athletes, which take several months to a year to recover from. Unfortunately, her college hoops career is finished after three seasons at Baylor and one with the Horned Frogs — where she was actually on track to break the school’s single-season assist record given her 6.8 assist-per-game average prior to the injury.

Here was Owens’ message to the fans after the major setback:

We love you, Uno 💜#GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/r91fXK24j4

— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) January 16, 2024

It’s unclear what the other ailments inside the TCU program are, but clearly, the team does not feel it is at full enough strength to take the court without risking further injury. It is worth noting, though, that the Horned Frogs had 10 different players, including Owens, see the floor in their loss to Houston on Jan. 13.