Frogs Coast Past UTPA, 88-58
FORT WORTH—TCU rolled Wednesday in its final Mountain West tune-up, posting an 88-58 win over Texas-Pan American at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The Horned Frogs scored the game’s first 18 points before coasting to victory.
The performance pushed TCU’s season record to 10-5, which matches the best start for the Horned Frogs since the 2000-01 season (12-3). UTPA dropped to 5-15.
Senior forward Craig Williams and senior guard Hank Thorns led all Frogs Wednesday with 16 points each. Williams made 5-of-9 field-goal attempts and 6-of-7 free throws, while Thorns went 7-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Williams added six rebounds. Also reaching double figures were junior guard/forward Garlon Green and sophomore forwardAmric Fields with 14 points apiece, while senior guard J.R. Cadot totaled eight points. Green, Fields and Thorns combined to shoot 6-of-11 from 3-point range
Senior guard Nate Butler led TCU on the glass with a career- and game-high nine rebounds, helping the Frogs outrebound the Broncs by a 41-30 margin. Freshman guard Kyan Anderson dished out a career- and game-best seven assists and totaled three assists, while junior forward Adrick McKinney also collected three steals to go with six points and six boards.
TCU dominated the lane throughout the game, posting a 46-16 scoring advantage in the paint, while it also leaned on its defensivepressure to force 22 UTPA miscues that resulted in a 31-11 edge in points off turnovers. The inside effort generated several easy looks at the basket, and the Frogs were able to capitalize throughout the contest. The squad finished the game shooting 52.4 percent overall from the field while holding the Broncs to a rate of only 36.8 percent.
Guards Brandon Provost and Aaron Irbanus led UTPA’s scoring attack with 14 points each. Provost was hot from outside, nailing 4-of-5 trey attempts from.
TCU controlled the game from the opening tip, scoring the first 10 points of the game while forcing three Bronc turnovers in the first 3:11. Following a UTPA timeout, the Frogs totaled four more baskets to make it 18 straight points before the Broncs were even able to scratch the scoreboard. Cadot and Green punctuated the early Frog run with back-to-back dunks.
UTPA finally got on the scoreboard at the 13:13 mark on a 3-pointer by Urbanus and
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was able to play even with the Frogs for the remainder of the half. TCU ended the period shooting 60.0 percent from the field in addition to forcing 16 Bronc turnovers, which it turned into a 22-6 advantage in points off turnovers. The Frogs posted a 26-10 scoring edge in the paintduring the half.
The second half started out similar to the first, as TCU outscored the Broncs 21-7 in the opening nine minutes. Williams totaled seven points in the first four minutes alone. The lead grew to as many as 39 points with 6:31 remaining following another 8-0 Frog run.
TCU opens its 2012 Mountain West conference schedule this weekend, as the Frogs travel to Fort Collins, Colo., to take on Colorado State. Tip-off for the contest, which will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network, has been set for 8 p.m. CT.
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