Frogs Drop Road Decision to Rebels
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LAS VEGAS, Nev.—Freshman guard Kyan Anderson and junior forward Adrick McKinney both recorded new career scoring highs Wednesday night as TCU dropped a 101-78 decision to No. 14 UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Runnin’ Rebels shot 57.8 percent from the field against the Horned Frogs and made 11 shots from 3-point range.
The loss, the Frogs’ second straight, dropped TCU to 10-7 overall this season and 0-2 in Mountain West play. UNLV improved to 17-3 overall and 1-1 in MW competition.
UNLV opened the game with a fury, scoring the contest’s first eight points and 19 of the first 21. The squad led by 21 points less than eight minutes into the game and coasted from there. TCU was able to climb to within 13 late in the first half before the Rebels pulled away after halftime.
UNLV put an offensive show on display Wednesday, making 37-of-64 shots from the field, including 64.5 percent in the first half (20-of-31). The squad 11 3-pointers came on only 21 attempts, with eight in the game’s opening 11 minutes.
Anderson led TCU with a career-high 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting. He also pulled down a career-high six rebounds and added two steals. McKinney scored 16 points while making 7-of-12 field-goal attempts. He chipped in five rebounds and a career-best three assists.
Also reaching double figures for the Frogs were sophomore forward Amric Fields, who scored 12 points, and senior guards Hank Thorns and J.R. Cadot, who finished with 11 points each. Thorns, a Las Vegas native playing in front of his hometown crowd, dished out a team-high six assists and added five rebounds, while Cadot matched Anderson for the team lead on the glass with six boards.
UNLV had two players break the 20-point barrier Wednesday in guard Anthony Marshall, who scored 27, and forward Chace Stanback, who totaled 22. Marshall went 11-of-18 from the field while recording a
game-high nine assists. Stanback was 7-of-11 on field goals, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Forward Mike Moser also had a big game for the Rebels, totaling 16points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
UNLV jumped on top of the Frogs quickly to start the game, scoring eight points on a deep jumper by center Brice Massamba and back-to-back 3-pointers by Stanback. After Anderson put the Frogs on the board with a layup, the Rebels followed with the game’s next 11 points. Moser and guard Oscar Bellfield both hit treys, with Bellfield adding a traditional 3-point play.
Overall, UNLV opened the contest by hitting seven of its first eight field-goal attempts, while TCU went only 1-of-7. The Frogs found themselves down by 21 points less than eight minutes into the game, as UNLVstaked itself to a 31-10 lead. At one point in the half, the Rebels had made 12-of-14 attempts from the field and 6-of-7 from beyond the arc.
TCU eventually found its footing by pushing the ball inside and making it to the charity stripe. The Frogs went to the line 20 times in the first half, making 15. Cadot was especially successful, going 7-for-9 at the line, including three straight free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer midway through the period.
The Frogs whittled the lead down to as few as 13 points in the half following an Anderson trey with 4:20 to play, but a 9-3 spurt put the Rebels back in front by 19 with just under a minute remaining. McKinney added two buckets late to bring TCU to within 15 at the break, including a dunk just prior to the buzzer after hitting the boards following an Anderson miss.
UNLV put a victory out of reach of the Frogs early in the second half, pushing the score to 72-47 following an 11-2 run punctuated by a Marshall layup and foul shot with 13:22 to play. The Rebels led by as many as 27 points midway through the half.
TCU returns to the DMC for its MW home opener Saturday, when it plays host to conference newcomer Boise State. The contest, which will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network, is scheduled to tip off at 2:30 p.m.
