TCU Falls To Boise State

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BOISE, Idaho—Boise State guard Anthony Drmic sank two free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining to boost the Broncos past TCU Saturday at Taco Bell Arena, 65-64. Senior forward Craig Williams led the Horned Frogs with a double-double featuring game highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds.

The loss dropped TCU to 15-11 overall and 5-5 in the Mountain West standings. The Frogs, who are a perfect 5-0 at home in leagueplay, fell to 0-5 on the road. Boise State improved to 13-12 overall and 3-7 in the MW with its third straight victory.

TCU trailed by five points with just over three minutes remaining Saturday before mounting a late comeback, which has been a theme throughout the team’s season. Junior guard/forward Garlon Green started off the rally with a 3-pointer before senior guard Hank Thorns scored on a jumper to tie the game at 59-59 with just under two minutes remaining.

The game continued to go back-and-forth in the final minute. Williams gave the Frogs a three-point edge with only 1:18 remaining by hitting his fifth 3-pointer of the game, but BSU guard Drew Wiley answered with a 3 of his own on the following possession to knot the game up at 62-all. Thorns gave TCU its last lead on a pair of free throws with 31.7 seconds left, and Drmic cut the lead to one point with only 8.1 seconds remaining by hitting 1-of-2 shots at the stripe after being fouled while driving to the hoop.

TCU had a chance to extend its lead after being fouled on the in-bounds play but missed the

front end of a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity. The miss proved to be costly, as Boise rebounded the ball and Drmic was fouled again driving to the hoop with 0.9 seconds left, leading to the winning points.

Williams played a solid game for the Frogs, hitting 5-of-7 shots from 3-point range to lead TCU to a 12-of-25 showing from beyond the arc. Sophomore forward Amric Fields chipped in 13 points off the bench while going 3-for-3 from outside. Green also added three treys while finishing with nine points and five rebounds. Senior guard J.R. Cadot totaled eight points and five boards, and Thorns scored seven points and added five assists.

Guard Derrick Marks led Boise State with 13 points, including 11 in the second half, while he chipped in a team-high seven rebounds. Center Kenny Buckner (12) and Drmic (10) also scored in double figures.

TCU opened the game strong, running out to an early 12-point advantage in the game’s first eight minutes. The Frogs hit 4-of-5 attempts from 3-point range in the early going, including three treys by Williams. A long jumper just inside the arc by Fields put the Frogs up, 18-6. TCU held Boise to only three field goals on 13 attempts to begin the contest.

The Broncos bounced back from their slow start, putting together a 14-3 run the pare TCU’s lead all the way down to one point. The Frogs were limited to only a Fields 3-pointer in a stretch of more than six-and-a-half minutes. BSU grabbed its first lead of the contest just minutes later on back-to-back perfect trips to the line by guard Jeff Elorriaga and guard Tre’ Nichols, but TCU scored five of the final seven points of the half to reclaim the lead at intermission, 28-26.

Boise State pulled ahead by six points midway through the second half, finally finding the touch from outside after going 0-for-9 from 3-point range in the opening period. Wiley and forward Thomas Bropleh (twice) both hit treys to help the Broncos move on top. Williams kept BSU within reach, scoring seven straight points for TCU before Marks gave the Broncos’ their late five-point lead on back-to-back layups at the 3:17 mark.

TCU continues its two-game road trip Wednesday when itheads to Colorado Springs, Colo., to take on Air Force. Tip-off for the contest at the Falcons’ Clune Arena, which will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.), is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT.

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