(Photo/Gregg Ellman )
FORT WORTH, TX — TCU (9-4) came up short to no. 2 Baylor in a 67-49 matchup on Saturday afternoon.
The 18 point win for the Baylor Bears does not give TCU the credit they deserve. The Horned Frogs fought hard in this game, staying within seven points of Baylor for 30 minutes of play.
The entire first half was back and forth for both teams. Freshman guard, Mike Miles came out of the tunnel roaring, ready to redeem himself from his zero point game against Kansas earlier this week. He led the Horned Frogs tonight with 17 points and had six of TCU’s first 13 points early in the first half.
TCU’s defense in the first half was very strong. Baylor was not shooting well from beyond the arc, giving TCU the opportunity to capitalize on rebounds. The Bears shot 10 percent from the three-point line and was getting bullied under the class. TCU led in rebounding 38-32 with the help of Kevin Samuel. He led the Horned Frogs with 11 rebounds on the night.
TCU was down two with 5.2 seconds left in the half until Mike Miles shot a 60-foot buzzer beater three-pointer to bring the Horned Frogs up by one going into the locker room.
TCU led 28-27 at the half.
Coming into the second half, Baylor went on a 7-0 run, creating a nine point lead with 14 minutes remaining in regulation. TCU did not roll over and answered with back-to-back three-pointers from Junior guard RJ Nembhard, cutting the deficit to three.
The last 10 minutes of play, TCU started to deteriorate. The Horned Frogs struggled turning the ball over against Baylor’s high pressure defense on the guards. TCU had 22 turnovers on the night, creating many open opportunities for the Bears to score.
TCU’s offense went into a slump with 8:35 remaining in the game, giving Baylor a 10 point lead. The Horned Frogs shot 33 percent from the floor and 31 percent from beyond the arc.
The Horned Frogs defense started to slow down late in the second half due to multiple players getting into foul trouble. Baylor’s shots started to fall for their three guards. Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell, and Macio Teague. They all scored in double-figures tonight, combined for 50 points.
Head Coach Jamie Dixon said, “The guys played hard, but they need to play hard for both halves.”
The lack of strong play for a solid 40 minutes and numerous turnovers led TCU to come up short to Baylor.
TCU moves to 9-3 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. The Horned Frogs will hit the road and play Oklahoma on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.
TCU Leaders :
Mike Miles had 17 points and 2 rebounds.
RJ Nembhard had 14 points and 6 rebounds.
Kevin Samuel had 6 points and 11 rebounds.
