(Photo/Courtney Bay)
STILLWATER, OK — TCU (6-2) beats undefeated Oklahoma State (6-1) in a 77-76 nailbiter on Wednesday night.
TCU was making it rain behind the 3-point line early on tonight. RJ Nembhard hit 3-of-5 beyond the arc early in the first quarter creating a comfortable 11 point lead for TCU. The Horned Frogs shot 46 percent from beyond the arc in the first half.
TCU played a very fast paced game. Their transition offense created a lot of open opportunities. The Horned Frogs went on a 14-2 run late in the second quarter leaving Oklahoma State scoreless for 6.5 minutes.
The Horned Frogs defense main focus was freshman phenom Cade Cunningham. They double-teamed him, making it difficult for him to get going. TCU kept him to only 2 points and 1-9 going into the half.
TCU went into the locker room up 37-32.
TCU’s defense continued to dominate in the third quarter. They forced Oklahoma State to turn the ball over 20 times. Their defense stiffened up stopping drives to the basket, which was a key factor in this quarter. The Horned Frogs also cut off the baseline giving the Cowboys no room to penetrate the paint. The Cowboy’s couldn’t find a groove beyond the arc, shooting 17 percent from the 3-point line.
Going into the fourth quarter, it was a back and forth battle between both teams. Oklahoma started to click on offense. TCU started to get sloppy in their offensive set. They had crucial turnovers in the fourth quarter that led to points for Oklahoma State.
With four minutes left in regulation, TCU went on a 9-0 run. Nembhard hit a jump shot with 7.2 seconds left in regulation to put TCU ahead 77-76 to seal the deal.
TCU will return to Schollmaier Arena on Tuesday, December 22 to take on North Dakota State at 8 p.m.
TCU Leaders
RJ Nembhard had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists.
Mike Miles had 16 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists.
Kevin Samuel had 18 points and 8 rebounds.
Taryn Todd had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists.
