TCU couldn’t snap their three-game losing streak, falling to New Mexico 71-46 at The Pit Wednesday evening.
TCU dropped to 10-12 overall and 1-6 in Mountain West Conference play, while New Mexico improved to 14-7 overall and 2-4 in the MWC.
Lobos’ guard Phillip McDonald drilled six 3-pointers and scored 20 points to lead the Lobos
McDonald made 6-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc and pulled down six rebounds to lead UNM. Forward Drew Gordon posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 boards. Guards Dairese Gary and Kendall Williams dished out eight and six assists, respectively.
TCU, playing without leading scorer Ronnie Moss, who missed the trip due to personal reasons, struggled offensively throughout the evening. The squad shot 33.9 percent from the field, including only 30.0 percent in the second half. New Mexico shot 48.2 percent from the field and made 10 shots from 3-point range against a Frog defense focused on shutting down the Lobos’ inside game.
Junior guard Hank Thorns led TCU in scoring for the second straight game with 11 points, while he also totaled a game-high nine assists, his seventh game with nine or more helpers this season. Sophomore forward Garlon Green also reached double figures with 10 points while leading the Frogs on the boards with five rebounds. Senior guard Greg Hill, junior guard J.R. Cadot and freshman forward Amric Fields scored six points each.
New Mexico grabbed an early eight point lead, 10-2, while holding the Frogs to only a Thorns layup in the game’s opening six minutes. TCU bounced back, tying the game at 19-19 with 5:34 remaining after back-to-back 3-pointers by Hill and Thorns. The Frogs were able to cool down the Lobos from outside, as the squad started only 3-of-13 from 3-point range.
New Mexico found its outside touch late in the period and never looked back, finishing the half on a 15-6 run to claim a nine-point edge at intermission, 34-25. McDonald kick-started the spurt with a trio of 3-pointers in a stretch of only 1:39.
The Lobos put the game out of reach midway through the second half with a 9-0 run to push the lead to 20 points, 55-33. McDonald finished off the spurt at the charity stripe, drilling a pair of shots with 10:20 remaining. The Frogs were unable to climb closer than 19 points the remainder of the game.
TCU returns home to conclude the first half of its MWC schedule Saturday, Jan. 29, when it plays host to Air Force at 5 p.m. at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The matchup will be televised live by CBS College Sports.