TCU Falls To Iowa State
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FORT WORTH—TCU held high-scoring Iowa State to its lowest output of the season Saturday, but it wasn’t enough as the Cyclones left Daniel-Meyer Coliseum with a 63-50 victory in the teams’ first matchup as Big 12 opponents.
TCU fell to 9-9 overall and 0-5 in Big 12 play with the setback, while Iowa State improved to 13-4 overall and 3-1 in league action.
Three players shared the TCU scoring lead, as sophomore forward Devonta Abron, senior guard/forward Garlon Green and freshman guard Charles Hill Jr. totaled 10 points apiece. Green added six rebounds to match senior forward Connell Crossland and senior forward Adrick McKinney for the team lead on the glass. McKinney chipped in eight points, and senior guard Nate Butler Lind scored six points to go with five boards and a pair of steals.
TCU’s scoring woes continued Saturday against ISU, as the squad shot 36.4 percent from the field overall and only 1-of-10 from 3-point range. The Frogs had several opportunities at the charity stripe that failed to drop, as well, going 9-of-22 at the line.
Iowa State, which entered the game ranked seventh nationally in scoring and 10th in 3-pointers made, had fewer troubles on the offensive end. The Cyclones buried an even 50.0 percent of their field-goal attempts and outscored the Frogs 19-14 in second-chance points despite collecting five fewer offensive rebounds. TCU did force the squad into 16 turnovers, leading to 13 Frog points.
ISU featured four players in double figures, including guard Tyrus McGee, who
scored a game-high 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Guard Will Clyburn totaled 12 points, with 10 in the first half, while forwards Melvin Ejim and Georges Niang added 10 points each. Ejim was a tough matchup for TCU on the boards, as he grabbed 12 rebounds, including six on the offensive end.
The contest was a close, back-and-forth affair in the early going featuring eight ties and two lead changes in the first 14 minutes. Iowa State opened the game up by scoring 14 of the final 18 points of the half to take a 36-26 advantage to the locker room. ISU totaled eight points on three positions culminating with a McGee trey and fastbreak dunk following a TCU turnover with just 2:05 remaining. The Frogs hit only 1-of-9 shots to end the half while being outrebounded by the Cyclones by a 13-3 margin.
Iowa State took its largest lead at 15 points on another McGee 3 with 12:08 remaining in the contest. TCU would claw its way back to within single digits just outside the two-minute mark following a 9-4 run, but the Frogs were held scoreless the rest of the way.
TCU returns to the road next Wednesday, when it travels to Morgantown, W.Va., for its first-ever meeting with fellow Big 12 newcomer West Virginia. The matchup, set to tip off at 6:30 p.m., will be televised live by ESPN2.
