TCU dropped their eighth-straight game to Wyoming Saturday, 77-67, at the Cowboys’ Arena-Auditorium.
The loss dropped the Frogs to 10-16 overall this season and 1-10 in Mountain West Conference play. Wyoming improved to 9-16 overall and 2-9 in the MWC while ending an eight-game losing streak.
Junior forward J.R. Cadot led the Frogs with 16 points, his top scoring total in conference play this season. He went 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 at the charity stripe. Sophomore forward Garlon Green scored 12 points while adding a team-high seven rebounds, while senior guard Greg Hill also recorded 12 points for his third straight double-figure performance. Hill went 9-of-10 on free throws to help TCU post a 22-for-27 effort at the line.
The game was a sloppy contest, as the two teams combined for 37 turnovers, including 18 by the Frogs. TCU started the game slow, making only 27 percent of its field goals in the first half before turning its shooting fortunes around after halftime. The Frogs shot nearly 54 percent after intermission, but the Cowboys matched the squad while outscoring TCU 45-41 in the second half.
Forward Amath M’Baye scored a game-high 21 points to lead Wyoming. Guard Desmar Jackson, who entered the contest ranked No. 4 in the MWC in scoring average, notched a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Guard Francisco Cruz added 12 points.
The Cowboys had one of their top games of the season from behind the arc despite entering the contest ranked next-to-last in the NCAA in 3-point field-goal percentage. The squad made 9-of-25 attempts Saturday against the Frogs, including three each by Jackson and forward Daylen Harrison. Wyoming’s five treys in the first half were more than the team had made in an entire game since Jan. 8.
Both teams experienced slow starts to the game. While the Frogs struggled with their shot, Wyoming gave away seven turnovers in the first nine minutes. The Cowboys eventually turned a two-point deficit into an 11-point advantage with a 13-0 run midway through the half, as a Cruz jumper put the squad up 20-9 with 8:38 remaining.
TCU regrouped by finding its way to the free-throw line late in the stanza. The Frogs went 8-of-8 at the stripe in the final four-plus minutes to climb back within three points. Two shots by Hill with 1:33 left brought TCU to within 29-26, but a trey in the final seconds of the period by Harrison gave the Cowboys a six-point edge at the break.
The Frogs cut the deficit as low as one point midway through the second half, but the squad was never able to pass up the Cowboys. A 15-4 Wyoming run took the lead back to double digits inside the final three minutes, and TCU was unable to climb closer than eight points the remainder of the contest.
TCU continues its MWC schedule Wednesday, when it kicks off a two-game homestand against Colorado State at 7 p.m. The contest will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.).