"It's not easy": Hailey Van Lith gets real on playing despite illness after ailing from food poisoning before Colorado game

Hailey Van Lith entered her first game of 2025 after battling food poisoning, resulting in a slow start for the roster. Nevertheless, the guard steered the TCU Horned Frogs past the Colorado Buffaloes, 63-50, behind 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting. She also added six rebounds, three assists and a steal, continuing her multi-dimensional effort.

In the post-game conference, HVL dived into playing with health concerns, saying that she had to figure out how to fulfill her role on the run. Despite the struggles, Van Lith said that she focused only on doing things that were necessary to garner the win.

"I mean, it's not easy, especially with my role on the team, but, at the end of the day, the other team doesn't care that I was sick," Hailey Van Lith said (1:25).

"So, it was a tough game for me, and I just had to figure out what I could do to help us ultimately get the win. So, sometimes, it ends up just being like that where you just have to grind stuff out, and our team was still able to win, so I'll take that over any other outcome."

Hailey Van Lith's efforts were assisted by Sedona Prince, who dropped a 14-point and 10-rebound double-double alongside four steals and three blocks.

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Hailey Van Lith's new approach towards driving to basket

HVL is solidifying herself as a true point guard this season, averaging a career-high in assists (6.4 apg). However, the change in her offensive approach has also altered the frequency of her trips to the charity stripe.

While Van Lith believes in her ability to finish through contact, she said that she's tackling it by not leaving it to chance and instead practicing balance in her offense.

"It's tough because when you're not getting calls, ultimately it becomes a bad shot if they can foul you," Hailey Van Lith said (4:24).

"So, I try to balance it and find different moments but I am skilled at finishing through contact, that's something that I do good so... I don't necessarily shy away from it but you know as I've matured I've tried to balance going downhill so much."

While Van Lith is averaging 4.2 free throw attempts per game, she averaged nearly five attempts before transferring from Louisville.

Nevertheless, the guard has improved her performance in the controllable aspects of the game. Alongside assists, HVL is posting a career-high in defensive rebounds (4.0 rpg), blocks 0.7 bpg) and steals (1.6 spg).