TCU Falls To Nebraska 69-57
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FORT WORTH—Senior guard Bo Spencer hit several big shots, including a 50 footer just before halftime, to lead Nebraska to a 69-57 victory over TCU on Saturday evening at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The loss snapped TCU’s four-game winning streak.
The loss, the Frogs’ first at home this season, dropped TCU to 7-3 overall, while Nebraska improved to 6-3.
TCU led by seven points at the half but struggled at both the offensive and defensive ends of the court following intermission, as the Huskers outscored the Frogs by a 39-20 margin in the second period. NU shot56.5 percent after halftime, while the Frogs hit at only a 24.0-percent clip following a 48.0 percent opening half.
Following a pair of free throws by TCU senior guard Hank Thorns to open the second stanza, Nebraska scored 15 of the game’s next 17 points to take a four-point lead. The Frogs were able to hang around in thecontest, trailing by only a single possession with just over four minutes to go before NU put the game away. TCU was held without a basket for the game’s final 5:09, while the Huskers iced the game at the free-throw line, making four separate trips to the stripe in the final two minutes.
Senior guard Hank Thorns led TCU with 18 points, although he was held to just 5-of-17 shooting. Thorns did sink 7-of-8 shots at the free-throw line, which both matched season highs. Freshman guard Kyan Anderson tied a career scoring best with 15 points while making 6-of-11 field-goal attempts. Anderson went 2-for-2 from 3-point range, and nine of his point total came in the second half.
Also reaching double figures for TCU was junior guard/forward Garlon Green, who scored 13 points, including 11 in the opening half. Junior forward Adrick McKinney led the Frogs on the glass with seven rebounds, including three on the offensive end. TCU pulled down 11 offensive boards in all, its seventh consecutive game with 11 or more.
Spencer proved to be a dagger in TCU’s side all evening, as he totaled a game-high
22 points for NU on 7-of-12 shooting. He went 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. Senior guard Caleb Walker and junior center Brian Jorge Diaz added nine points each, while Walker and junior forward Brandel Ubel shared the game lead with eight rebounds apiece.
TCU trailed by as many as five points in the first half before turning things around midway through the period with a 14-2 run featuring four Frog 3-point plays. Three of the treys came from the right hand of Green, including two from beyond the arc, while Thorns also connected from deep during the stretch. The Frogs went 5-of-9 from 3 in the first half but 0-for-4 in the second.
TCU actually led by as many as 10 points in the first half following a pair of free throws by senior guard J.R. Cadot with only 2.4 seconds left in the half, but Spencer was able to sink a 50-footer at the buzzer to pull the Huskers to within seven at intermission, 37-30.
TCU takes the next week off from competition due to finals week before return to action on the road Monday, Dec. 19 at USC. Tip-off from the Trojans’ Galen Center in Los Angeles is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CST.
