TCU Downs Southern Utah
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FORT WORTH—Sophomore guard Kyan Anderson scored 21 points and sophomore forward Devonta Abron totaled a career-high 17 Thursday to lead TCU to a 61-52 home victory over Southern Utah at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
The victory moved the Horned Frogs’ season record to 6-2 for the third consecutive year, while the squad improved to 19-4 at home since the start of last season. Southern Utah dropped to 1-5.
The Frogs and Thunderbirds played a back-and-forth game early before TCU pulled away late for the win thanks in part to strong second-half efforts by Anderson and Abron. The tandem scored 25 of the Frogs’ 30 points in the final stanza of a game that saw the lead change sides nine times.
TCU gained the advantage for good midway through the second half, as Abron kick-started an 8-0 run with six consecutive points. Senior forward Adrick McKinney, who also was strong for the Frogs following halftime, finished off the spurt with a short jumper to put TCU up by seven, 45-38, with just over seven minutes remaining.
Anderson finished the game off for the Frogs, scoring 10 of the team’s final 11 points in the last two minutes to help hold off the Thuderbirds. Anderson made three trips to the charity stripe down the stretch, going a perfect 6-for-6.
Anderson’s late flurry helped him post his second consecutive game with at least 21 points following a career-high 35-point outburst during Saturday’s win over UAB at the South
Padre Island Invitational. The Fort Worth native was 6-for-9 from the floor Thursday and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line, while he also dished out six assists in 38 minutes of action.
Abron delivered yet again down low for TCU, surpassing his previous career high of 13 recorded last week against Navy. Like Anderson, he made 6-of-9 field-goal attempts while pulling down five rebounds. Abron scored 13 points in the second half to help him finish in double figures for the fourth time in the last five games.
McKinney also delivered in the low post for the Frogs against Southern Utah, as the team’s late play in the paint proved to be one of the differences in the contest. McKinney finished with seven points while pulling down a team-best seven rebounds, helping the Frogs win the rebounding in the game’s crucial final 10 minutes after SUU had owned the boards in the first 30 minutes.
Senior guard/forward Garlon Green also added seven points. Junior guard Thomas Montigel chipped in a career-high five while making his first career start in place of an injured Nate Butler Lind. On the defensive end of the court, Montigel was among a group of players who helped hold forward Jackson Stevenett, SUU’s leding scorer entering the game, to only one point on the evening.
Guard Damon Heuir led Southern Utah’s offensive attack with 25 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He made his way to the free-throw line 12 times, making nine. Center Jayson Cheesman totaled nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
TCU concludes its brief two-game homestand Tuesday when the squad plays host to Houston at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The contest, which will be televised live by FOX Sports Southwest, will tip off at 8 p.m.
