The No. 20 TCU Horned Frogs held off a late run by the No. 22 Nevada Wolf Pack to win in head coach Jamie Dixon’s first game coaching in his hometown of Los Angeles, Calif.
”We’ve gotten better the last two weeks,” Dixon said. ”We’ve really adapted and done some things better. We can be really good. Our offensive numbers are about as good as they can be. Defensively, we’re getting better.”
The Frogs dominated the first 30 minutes of the match but slowed for the final 10 minutes, allowing Nevada to get back into striking distance. TCU had enough left in the tank though to win in the second annual Hall of Fame Basketball Classic, 84-80.
The Wolf Pack cut the lead to five points, 72-67, thanks in part to a 17-5 run by Nevada in the second half. With eight seconds remaining in regulation, Nevada hit a three-pointer to trim the margin to three points, free throws from the Frogs sealed the deal.
The Horned Frogs never trailed Friday night as sophomore guard Jaylen Fisher recorded eight assists and 20 points on 3-3 shooting from beyond the arc and senior forward Kenrich Williams tallied his 11th double-double of their 15-game winning streak, 16 points and 11 rebounds.
”I was just trying to feed off my teammates, let them give me open shots and let their drive feed my drive,” Fisher said.
Fisher was named the MVP of the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.
The Horned Frogs shot 56 percent from the field, the seventh time this season TCU has hit over 50 percent of their field goals. TCU also shot 56 percent from behind the arc for the third time this season. With a 63 percent conversion rate in the first half, TCU recorded their second-highest field goal percentage for the first half this season.
Senior forward Vladamir Brodziansky continued to advance in the ranks of all-time TCU defenders with three blocked shots Friday night, moving to 4th place all-time and 37 blocks away from the school-record of 171.
The Horned Frogs will return home for a matchup against Texas Southern Monday, Dec. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
