Frogs Comeback Bid Falls Short vs. Tulsa
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FORT WORTH—TCU fought back from a double-digit second-half deficit to gain the lead, but Tulsa was able to hold off the Horned Frogs late, 74-66, Saturday evening at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
The loss dropped TCU’s season record to 8-5, while Tulsa evened up its mark at 7-7.
Senior guard Hank Thorns led the Frogs in scoring for the team-best sixth time this season with 16 points. He set a new career high in 3-pointers made while drilling 4-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc, and three of the treys came while he helped lead TCU’s comeback bid with 11 second-half points.
Senior forward Craig Williams, who totaled 11 points, scored in double figures for the third straight game before fouling out midway through the second half. Junior guard/forward Garlon Green also added 11 while going 7-of-9 at the charity stripe. Senior guard J.R. Cadot led TCU in rebounding with eight boards and also chipped in two blocked shots and three steals. As a team, the Frogs totaled 10 thefts.
TCU trailed by 10 points at intermission and as many as 12 points early in the second half before turning its effort around. The Frogsrelied on pressure defense to force turnovers and create easy baskets, while the team also was able to find its way to the free-throw line.
After shooting under 30 percent from the field in the first period and reaching the charity stripe just eight times, TCU shot 45.5 percent in the second frame and attempted 22 free throws. Fourteen
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of TCU’s second-half point total came as a result of forced turnovers.
TCU started its comeback with just over 12 minutes remaining and trailing by 11 points, 53-42. The Frogs scored 17 of the game’s next 22 points to gain its first lead of the game, 59-58. Freshman Kyan Anderson and Green led the charge with five points each during the stretch,with Green’s highlight dunk and free throw with 5:35 remaining put TCU on top.
Tulsa responded with a 3-pointer by guard Eric McLellan to push back on top. After a Thorns trey knotted the game at 63-63 with 4:07 left, the Golden Hurricane took control at the free-throw line. The squad made six trips to the stripe in the final four minutes while outscoring TCU 11-3 down the stretch. The Frogs were able to muster only three Green free throws after he was fouled on a 3-point attempt with just under a minute remaining.
Guard Jordan Clarkson led Tulsa in scoring with a game-high 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Clarkson was the main benefactor of the physical game, as he went to the stripe 11 times, making nine to lead TU to a 28-of-38 free-throw effort. He also dished out five assists.
Center Kodi Maduka was a dominating force inside, totaling a double-double featuring 15 points and a game-best 15 rebounds. His work inside helped the Hurricane gain a 35-27 edge on the glass, while he also accounted for three of Tulsa’s 12 blocked shots.
TCU struggled through the first half both on the offensive end of the court and on the glass. The Frogs shot only 29.6 percent from the field overall in the period while pulling down only 11 rebounds compared to 23 for Tulsa. The inside presence of the Hurricane’s big bodies gave TCU fits, as TU posted as many blocked shots as the Frogs made in the half (eight).
TCU continues its four-game homestand Wednesday, when it takes on Rice at 7 p.m. at the DMC. The contest will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.).
