The Frogs never let off the brakes after starting the game with a 14-0 run. Washington State was held scoreless for more than four minutes and would never come closer than an seven-point deficit with 10:37 remaining in the first half.
Senior Kyan Anderson broke the seal against the Cougars with a steal on the first play. He was fouled on his fast break, but made the layup and converted the three-point play.
“I thought our guys were really ready to play,” said TCU head coach Trent Johnson. “Everyone that had the opportunity to play played well.”
Early on the Frogs were killing the Cougars on the boards, posting a huge 13-2 advantage.
Sophomore center Karviar Shepherd had an impressive pass down the lane to a cutting forward, sophomore Chris Washburn.
Anderson whirled a one-handed no-look pass to sophomore forward Kenrich Williams for more points in the paint and the Frogs threw down two slam dunks.
The Frogs worked their inside game with finesse and ended up with 8 second-chance points to pair with nine offensive rebounds in the first half.
The Cougars struggled to adjust to TCU’s inside-first style, and failed to react to the outside pass. The Frogs shot 55.6 percent from the 3-point line in the half.
Washington State tried everything, even initiating a full-court press early on. The Frogs continued to put up impressive offensive numbers while the Cougars shot a brutish 33.3 percent from the field.
Williams and Anderson finished the half with nine points each. Shepherd led the half with six rebounds. The Frogs shot 47.4 percent overall and held a 45-26 lead at halftime.
Washburn had an impressive double-move with a left hand finish in the paint for the first points of the second half. But with four fouls, Johnson pulled the forward at the midway mark of the second half.
Anderson was on fire, knocking down multiple three-pointers—he was three of five beyond the arc—and broke the ankles of four Cougars on one play for a hard finish in the lane.
Anderson had 16 points and six assists before Johnson elected to play freshman guard Chauncey Collins for the remainder of the game.
“I enjoy sitting out, especially in one like this, being able to see some of the other guys come in,” Anderson said.
His substitute, the homeschooler from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, put up ten points in nine minutes of play.
“We’d like to see him pass more but he’s developing,” Anderson mentioned.
Johnson played all but two players on the Frog’s roster and the starters combined for 47 points in the 81-54 rout.
TCU won every category. They could have been better than their 43.7 field goal percentage, but dominated the boards 45 to 37 with a 16 to 12 second-chance points advantage. The Frogs had 18 assists and 10 steals while obliterating the Cougars 44 to 26 in the paint.
But Anderson attributed the win to the defensive effort of the Frogs.
“I like to say ‘Hit ’em First,'” Anderson said. “Defense is where it starts. Our depth and intensity started it all. Defense and defensive rebounding looked a lot better.”
Washington State is now 0-2 on their season.
“[Washington State] is a high-caliber team in a high-caliber league,” Johnson said, “but you move on to the next one.”
TCU will take on New Orleans Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center in Fort Worth.
