NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - UC SAN DIEGO VS TCU

March 20, 2026

Mark Campbell

Taylor Bigby

Olivia Miles

Schollmaier Arena

TCU Horned Frogs

Media Conference

TCU 86, UC San Diego 40

MARK CAMPBELL: Well, that was awesome. We haven't played in 12 days, since the Big 12 tournament.

I'll tell you what, this group has been as intentional as anytime I've got to coach during this break. They have been locked in. We've had tremendous practices, and it showed from the jump. I thought the energy, the enthusiasm, the spirit was at an elite level. I thought Olivia really got us started and set the tone from the beginning. There were special performances up and down the roster, but I thought our defensive effort defending the 3 and making it hard for these guys to score, got out in transition, and we really were able to just really get in a rhythm.

So in March, you're at home, you're watching all these games. This group was just -- you could tell they were itching and ready to go compete. So that's 40 minutes. We talk about it's an 80-minute weekend. That's 40 down, we've got 40 left. I'm just proud of this group, they were ready to go today.

MODERATOR: Questions for student athletes?

Q. Olivia, Mark talked about you setting the tone early, obviously four of the first five baskets you assisted on, but your rebounding was really where we kind of saw your energy, four early rebounds. Were you kind of in that mode of I'm just going to get every ball I can today?

OLIVIA MILES: Yeah, it's a different sense of urgency that I came with. I promised myself that I would help my team out in any way that I can. I know that it starts with me attacking the glass early so I have the ball in my hands and I can control, it was favorable for us tonight. And obviously when you have someone hitting shots at that level, it's incredible. Just keep finding her, find the hot hand and the energy flows through all of us when it starts on defense and then we flow into our offense.

Q. Mark also talked about the spirit, and that really seemed on display. When Taylor had her fourth 3 in a row, you all kind of met her at halfcourt. Just the camaraderie you guys all had. Can you talk about how close this team is and how you rally around each other?

OLIVIA MILES: Yeah, it's special. Seeing Taylor in the gym every day working on those very shots, to see it come out when it actually matters -- every moment matters, but now it's the real deal -- you can't help but be happy for that person. Like I said, it's contagious when she's hitting 3s and then she gets to attack a closeout and hit someone else and they hit a 3. So it just spills over. We're all happy to see each other thrive and succeed.

TAYLOR RIBGY: I would say for me, to piggyback off of that, we're all just so happy for each other. Yeah, tonight was my night, but there's many other nights where it was other people's, and we're always just so happy for one another because we see everyone in the gym every day.

Q. Taylor, you really got a rhythm there in the second quarter hitting those four 3s in a row. Were you just feeling it, was it something the defense was doing, the passes? What got you into that rhythm?

TAYLOR RIBGY: I think part of it is this one right here finding me, and then just confidence and just being in the right spot at the right time. And Mark talks to me about hunting shots all the time. I feel like that's kind of what I was doing. But more credit to her and my teammates for finding the hot hand.

Q. You guys were wearing jerseys that have the number 40 on the back of it saying that you need to put 40 minutes of good basketball together, which is kind of the tone with 10 new players going into this season. How did you feel that momentum switch and change as you hit March and going into this tournament especially playing on your home court?

OLIVIA MILES: Yeah, I think we have seven seniors, so that's like half of our team. We understand, like I said, the sense of urgency we have to play with. We haven't put together a full 40 minutes of TCU basketball this season. Even though Mark may say we did today, I do think there's a whole other level we can get to. I'm just proud of our effort. When we play with that sort of effort and that sort of camaraderie and chemistry, it's hard to stop us on both ends of the floor.

TAYLOR RIBGY: I think it just means more. We kind of know that we had to be super focused because it is win or go home. Like she said, there's a sense of us that are seniors, and of course both of us, it's our last year. I think just giving it our all.

Q. At what point in the game did you guys feel like you were having a career night individually?

TAYLOR RIBGY: Oh, honestly, I'm not going to say I blacked out, but honestly, I was just out there playing with my team, I wasn't playing to get 27 tonight. They just kept finding me and it was just within the flow of our offense.

OLIVIA MILES: Yeah, I'd say the exact same thing. I think I was finding people early and I literally told Mark, if I go out there and I have zero points and 20 assists, I would be just as happy. That's just what I love to do and that's what brings me the most joy playing basketball.

Q. The WNBA agreed on a new CBA earlier this week. As someone who's projected to go high in the draft, do you have any --

OLIVIA MILES: Thankfully. I was getting nervous there for a little bit. No, just grateful that the players were able to get what they deserved and get in the fight. Obviously we know it's been a long-winded back and forth between the two, but I'm just glad that we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. That means the new people coming into the league have a good foundation to start off on.

Q. Like you said, you would have been happy with 20 assists and no points, but at what point did you really want to get another triple-double in the NCAA Tournament, and you gave up a couple chances there in the fourth quarter?

OLIVIA MILES: Yeah, yeah. You know, I would be happy with zero points and 20 assists, but once I heard that I had 10 rebounds early on, I was like OK, so I have to go get it now.

He trusts me. He puts me in situations where I can go and get it done. Then ultimately, like I said, when my teammates are hitting shots, it only makes it easier for me to score.

Q. Olivia, TCU, you've now set a new career high in rebounds in a single game, you tied your career high in assists in a single game, you set your points career high in a single game all in this one year. Talk about making the choice to come to TCU, one of those things, getting your confidence and your love for the game back. Is that kind of embodied in the results that you've had?

OLIVIA MILES: Yeah, I can't even explain it. I don't really care about the results, it's the process that it took to get here. A lot of people said it was a dumb decision and a lot of people questioned what I did. At the end of the day, I just needed me and my family and Mark and my teammates to really trust in me and buy in.

Anything could have happened this year, and I made sure that I was on the right side of it. I had just an incredible support system that allowed me to play free and find my joy back. That's why you're seeing these results.

At the end of the day, I really could care less. I went through a major injury a few years back and the only thing that makes me happy in the game is if I'm healthy and if I have fun. Whatever comes out in the box score comes out, but at the end of the day, this game's about joy and love and the impact you have on people.

MODERATOR: We'll now open the floor for questions from coach.

Q. Coach, Clara and Kennedy today, six combined blocks. Can you talk about their impact on containing the other team's top scorer today?

MARK CAMPBELL: Yeah, those two have become just an incredible two-headed monster defensively. They're so long and athletic and mobile, they're hard to score over. That's been the case all year. We've been one of the best defensive field goal percentage teams in college basketball. It's really those two anchor all of it.

So Erin is a tremendous player and she got our full attention on our scout. She's a really good basketball player, but when you have two 6'7" kids like that, it's really hard to score over them. They do a tremendous job. For their offensive system, they (indiscernible) because most teams have to double her or do something in order to help and then their shooters get free. Today we were able to play her straight up man to man and then we could stay home on the perimeter.

Q. You guys are the tallest team in the country on average. Do you think that becomes even more of a differentiator in March?

MARK CAMPBELL: Oh, it's a huge part of our success this year. In March you've got to defend and rebound to win. Obviously when you have nights like this where you shoot like this, then you really get cooking.

But you won't shoot it like this all the time, so we've got to make sure we defend and rebound and hang our hat on that. I think our size has had a huge impact on the glass and our defensive scheme.

Q. You've talked a lot throughout the season about how much players like Taylor Bigby have to sacrifice. How exciting is it for you to watch them have this sort of game where it's kind of their moment now?

MARK CAMPBELL: Yeah, I think you've got to see it with the joy that the teammates had watching her success. Tay's one of the ultimate teammates, everybody loves her. But Olivia mentioned it, she's in here and gets her shots up every day. It's been two years now she's in the gym working on her craft. So it's just neat when young people get rewarded for their hard work. It doesn't always happen. But her teammates have seen her grind and she's amazing. Her and Dono the backbone and the staples over the last two years. So everybody loves when those two get an opportunity to shine.

This team is close. The locker room is a tight knit group. You could see it with the joy that they celebrated Taylor. I mean, her going 7-9, I think our team sprinted out to halfcourt to meet her and celebrate with her during the timeout. It's just really cool.

Q. You've seen some special performances by Olivia this year. How do you put this one in perspective right afterwards?

MARK CAMPBELL: You guys, this is probably the best. I mean, it's March. March Madness is the biggest stage in college basketball. These kids have nerves and excitement. They spent all day yesterday watching the different upsets that unfolded yesterday. They were ready to go.

But to break our all-time single game assist record while having a triple-double during March Madness, holy cow. Again, I think at halftime she was on pace for 20 assists, 20 rebounds. Again, it's a magnitude of the game, the stage and just everything. Olivia, her ability, you saw it within the first four minutes of the game, the pep, the pop she played with. I mean, she was in attack mode. And when Olivia's like that, our team feeds off it and we're at a whole different level.

Me personally, I would say this is her best game as a Horned Frog.

Q. You had 12 days in between the end of Big 12 play to the start of March Madness, and now you only have one day turnaround before you play again on Sunday. What kind of impact does that have on a team to make sure they don't come out sluggish?

MARK CAMPBELL: Yeah, this 12-day break was great for us. We got to hit the reset button, we got our bodies fresh, we got to fine tune everything. All week we've been preaching about 40 minutes, 40 minutes, 40 minutes. This group is so talented, sometimes they lose focus, and tonight they didn't.

Now it's a quick turnaround. You've got to survive that first game. And everybody gets all week to prepare a scout for that first game, but it's a level playing field. Everybody now gets one day, you get one shoot-around, you get a film session, and you've got to be the best version of yourself on Sunday.

So it's going to be a tremendous game, excited to go watch it. Two great teams, two great coaches.

But at the end of the day it's about TCU, and our team knows that. Again, it helps to be old, it helps to have a lot of veterans. And you guys, they've got big goals, big goals in March. I'm just excited we get another 40 minutes to compete together.

Q. You talked about the slow start you guys had in this game a year ago and some of the things you did differently, including bringing in the scrimmage. But you started with so much pace and so much intensity. What did you notice about the team's final days of preparation that kind of -- were you clued in that this is how you would start?

MARK CAMPBELL: Yeah, we've had as good a week of practice as we've had all season. And March does that to people, to teams. It's win or go home, and when you have seven seniors, they understand this could potentially be your last game.

So this week of practice, it was just incredible. They were so locked in every day in the leadership. You guys, the journey of a season, I talk about that. Well, when you have 10 new players. The West Virginia game was painful, but the growth -- every time this team has stubbed their toe, the response back has been elite. The leadership's been elite, so I expected nothing less.

So this game, this performance, after watching our team this week, it doesn't surprise me. They were ready to go.

Q. Coach, you said this is Olivia's best performance as a Horned Frog. What are one or two things that stood out to you since she's arrived here that she's grown the most in or really jumped out about her development?

MARK CAMPBELL: Man, I could give along-winded answer. You guys, for players like Olivia and Hayley, I say that because of just who they are coming in here, but it's all these portal players. When you come here and you have one season left, you've got seven months, eight months together, it takes a huge leap of faith because you're coming to a new program with new coaches with new teammates to a new city, and you've got to get it right. You get one shot to get it right.

There's a lot of pressure the kids put on themselves to accomplish their individual goals, and you have your team goals. Like it's really, really challenging. It's really, really hard. So Olivia, when she comes here, someone of her magnitude and what she's trying to accomplish, to take a leap of faith and do that.

But then you have to go do it. And Olivia's not the only one. You have a batch of players that came here to do that. So the growth to see this group from the beginning and the evolution of becoming a team and a family, and Olivia saying I could care less if I scored zero or had 20 assists, to watch her lose herself in the journey, and it's unfolded again, it happened last year, is just so special.

Her leadership, growth from the beginning of this season till now is something I'm probably the most proud of watching her do that, to take ownership of this group, to pour herself in, and that takes a process of trust and to put your guard down. So that's been really neat.

Her confidence in herself as a scorer. Olivia's just a world-class passer. There's like five players at any level that have her vision in the world. But to see the growth in her scoring ability has been really neat. There's so many different areas that have been fun to watch the evolution of Olivia, her last year.

And I have just enjoyed the journey and the process with her, and her allowing us to coach her. This kid has such a brilliant basketball mind and understanding. And it's someone you've got to earn her trust. They challenge you in a really good way. Couldn't be more proud of her.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

MARK CAMPBELL: Oh, we cannot end on that. Nia Jackson had the scout and we'll see who wins the next one. Go Frogs. See you on Sunday.