TCU FALLS TO LOBOS IN HOME FINALE
TCU led by as many as five points midway through the second half, but a strong effort by guard Dairese Gary helped New Mexico pull away late during an 80-70 Lobo victory Saturday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
The setback dropped TCU to 10-20 overall this season and 1-14 in Mountain West Conference play. New Mexico snapped a four-game losing streak while improving to 18-11 overall and 6-8 in the MWC.
Five Horned Frogs scored in double figures Saturday, including sophomore forward Nikola Cerina and freshman forward Amric Fields, who shared the team lead with 17 points each. Cerina’s effort marked a season high, as he went 7-for-11 from the field and added nine rebounds. Fields made 8-of-11 field-goal attempts.
Junior guard Hank Thorns again topped double digits in assists Saturday, matching a career high with 12 helpers while chipping in 11 points. It marked his eighth game this season with 10 or more dimes, a total that would have ranked No. 2 nationally entering the day. Thorns also moved into fourth place on TCU’s single-season assist chart, as he now has 199 on the campaign.
Guard Greg Hill, who was honored prior to his final home game alongside fellow senior Nikola Gacesa, totaled 10 points for the Frogs, while sophomore forward Garlon Green also added 10.
Gary, a first-team All-MWC selection last season, put together one of the top
performances of his career to lead the Lobos. He scored a career-best 32 points, making 11-of-14 field-goal attempts while adding nine assists. Gary accounted for three of UNM’s six 3-pointers and also went 7-for-8 at the charity stripe.
Forward A.J. Hardeman added a double-double for New Mexico featuring 14 points and 10 rebounds, while guard Phillip McDonald scored 12 points. Forward Drew Gordon grabbed a game-high 11 boards.
TCU had struggled lately offensively entering the contest, failing to break 40 percent shooting in its last three contests. The squad regrouped Saturday by drilling 45.8 percent of its shots from the field, including an even 50.0 percent in the second half, but had a tough time keeping up with the Lobos, who shot 54.7 percent and 58.3 percent after halftime.
TCU trailed by seven points at halftime, 36-29, but came out firing in the second half. The Frogs scored 16 of the first 21 points of the second period to claim a four-point edge, 45-41. Hill drilled back-to-back treys just over two minutes in, while Cerina added six points on three layups. Fields also recorded a pair of buckets during the run.
Facing its largest deficit of five points following a Fields 3-pointer with 12:24 remaining, UNM responded by scoring nine consecutive points and 30 of the game’s next 40 points over a 10-minute stretch. Gary was deadly for the Lobos in the second half, scoring 23 points in the period alone on 7-of-9 shooting.
The Frogs tried to rally late, scoring eight straight points to cut the lead to seven points, 73-66, with just over a minute to play, but TCU was only able to record a pair of Thorns layups late as UNM iced the game at the free-throw line.
TCU kept the game close for much of the first half, trailing by only three points following a Cerina layup with two minutes to play. Gary gave the Lobos a seven-point cushion at intermission with a trey and layup in the final 1:33.
TCU concludes its regular-season schedule on the road Wednesday, as the squad travels to Air Force for a 7 p.m. CT matchup. The contest will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.).
