Despite opening the first half with a flurry of three-pointers, the TCU men’s basketball team (9-4) fell in their conference home opener to West Virginia (9-5) 74-69.
“I thought, with the exception of some crucial free throws we missed, it was probably a pretty good basketball game,” TCU head coach Trent Johnson said. “It’s just unfortunate that some shots and some free throws didn’t go down for us at crucial times.”
The Frogs were outrebounded 38-30, allowing West Virginia to garner 17 offensive boards along with 17 second chance points.
“Tonight, we just got manhandled on the boards,” junior forward Amric Fields. “We gotta learn how to rebound out of the zone, which is tough because you have no man, but it’s something we can do and we just gotta work on.”
Fields started off the game hot, scoring nine of the Frogs’ first 14 points. He finished tied for a game-high 22 points.
“Amric can play,” Johnson said. “We’re gonna score the basketball.”
West Virginia guard Eron Harris, who came off the bench, also scored 22 points. The Mountaineers’ second unit finished the game with 28 points.
Points came early and often for TCU as they hit each of their first seven three-pointers. They struggled after that surge though, making only two of their final 10 attempts.
“We shoot the ball well from the three,” Johnson said. “There is nothing they did defensively that hurt us.”
With 9:32 left in the first half, TCU led by only two before freshman forward Brandon Parrish hit the Frogs’ seventh consecutive three-pointer. This gave the Frogs a five-point lead, the team’s highest of the game.
“I thought Brandon Parrish played a pretty good basketball game, making crucial shots when we needed crucial baskets,” Johnson said.
Parrish finished the game with 18 points and four rebounds.
Despite TCU’s hot shooting, they couldn’t seem to gain an edge as the Mountaineers continued to stick around, mustering up nine offensive rebounds and sixteen points off the bench in the first half.
“Rebounding is, as much as people want to talk about it, effort and quickness to the ball,” Johnson said.
Trailing by one with two minutes left in the half, Harris pulled off a high-energy alley-oop dunk to give the Mountaineers a 36-35 lead. Harris finished the game with 13 points off the bench.
West Virginia freshman forward Nathan Adrian would later hit a three-pointer and the Frogs trailed 42-39 at halftime.
The Mountaineers opened up the second half with a 7-2 run, leading 49-41 early. TCU managed to get the lead down to two after freshman center Karviar Shepherd hit a pair of free throws.
With 6:26 left in the second half and the Frogs trailing by three, junior guard Kyan Anderson fouled out. Anderson finished with 12 points, four assists and four rebounds.
TCU trailed by five with 3:05 left before Parrish hit a three-pointer to bring the lead back down to two.
The Mountaineers went on a small run, bringing the lead back up to four with 55.9 left in the contest. The Frogs then turned the ball over on the following possession and were forced to foul.
West Virginia guard Juwan Staten made one of ensuing free throws and then hit a fastbreak layup to give the Mountaineers a 74-67 lead.
Fields hit a buzzer beater layup as the clock ran out and TCU lost 74-69.
“It’s hard for me because I know how they feel and there’s no positive in that locker room right now so I have to do a really, really good job of making sure they stay up,” Johnson said.
The Frogs are now 0-3 all-time against West Virginia. They’re scheduled to face Kansas State next Tuesday to finish off their six-game home streak.
“They know we’re good and they know what’s in front of them,” Johnson said. “They know why we lost the game. We’re beyond moral victories.”
