Texas Beats TCU
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FORT WORTH—TCU recorded one of its top shooting performances of Big 12 play but was unable to cool off Texas, as the Longhorns earned a sweep of the season series by downing the Horned Frogs by a 68-59 count at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
The setback dropped TCU’s season record to 10-16 overall, including 1-12 in Big 12 Conference play. UT improved to 12-14 overall and 4-9 in the league standings.
Three Frogs scored in double figures, including senior guard/forward Garlon Green, who led the squad for the team-high eighth time this season with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Fellow senior guard Nate Butler Lind broke his previous career scoring high with 12 points, while he added a personal-best five assists.
Sophomore Kyan Anderson added 10 points, his fourth straight game in double figures, and matched his career high of eight assists for the second straight contest. Senior forward Adrick McKinney totaled nine points, while sophomore forward Devonta Abron grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Abron’s efforts helped the Frogs post a 31-27 rebounding advantage over the Longhorns.
Texas also featured three players who reached double figures in the scorebook, including freshman forward Ioannis Papapetrou, who scored 15 points with the help of a 4-for-8 effort from beyond the arc. Papapetrou led the Horns to a 7-for-18 showing from 3-point range.
Forward Connor Lammert put together a huge second half for UT, totaling 12 points overall, including nine in a four-minute stretch late to help put the Longhorns ahead for good. Lammert also grabbed a team-high seven boards. Guard Myck Kabongo added 12 points and dished out seven helpers.
TCU posted its top shooting performance of the conference season to
date, making 45.7 percent of its shots overall. Texas was just a bit better, making an even 50 percent, including nearly 60 percent in the first half while building an eight-point lead at intermission. Kabongo dealt the Frogs fits early in the contest with his ability to penetrate into the lane, scoring eight points and collecting five assists in the opening period.
The Frogs turned their fortunes around in the second half after falling behind by as many as 12 points. The squad knotted the game up after holding the Longhorns to only two field goals in an eight-minute stretch, while Butler Lind and Anderson both knocked down 3’s to aid the TCU charge. Butler Lind tied the game up at 48-all on a pair of free throws with 8:43 to play following a dunk by senior Connell Crossland on the previous Frog possession.
Lammert then took the game over for Texas, delivering nine of 12 UT points in just over three minutes to push the squad back in front by seven, 60-53, with 4:48 to play. TCU was able to close back to within five at the two-minute mark, but a 3 by guard Demarcus Holland following a long UT possession and offensive rebound with a minute to go ended up sealing the Frogs’ fate.
TCU returns to the road Saturday, when it travels to Lawrence, Kan., to take on Big 12 leader and ninth-ranked Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. The Frogs and Jayhawks will tip off at 3 p.m. with the Big 12 Network will televising the matchup live.
