The TCU men’s basketball team stumbled to their second consecutive road defeat Tuesday night, 73-55 to West Virginia at WVU Coliseum. Despite a promising start and late pushes to cut into the deficit, the Horned Frogs couldn’t overcome a commanding first-half run by the Mountaineers.
TCU opened with energy, taking a quick 5-0 lead behind baskets from Vasean Allette and Brendan Wenzel. That momentum evaporated rapidly as West Virginia responded with an 18-0 onslaught over an eight-minute stretch, silencing the Horned Frogs’ offense and building a 13-point advantage midway through the first half.
The Mountaineers’ hot shooting proved devastating for TCU’s defense, as West Virginia connected on 58.6% of their field goal attempts in the opening twenty minutes. The Horned Frogs managed to trim the deficit slightly before halftime, scoring the final seven points of the period, but still trailed 42-27 at the break.
Trazarien White provided a spark early in the second half, draining TCU’s first three-pointer of the contest. White finished as the Horned Frogs’ leading scorer with 11 points, marking his third straight game in double figures. The junior forward has now connected from beyond the arc in seven consecutive outings.
With just over eight minutes remaining and trailing by 19 points, TCU mounted its most promising comeback attempt. Redshirt freshman Jace Posey ignited a 10-0 run with six points off the bench, helping cut the West Virginia lead to nine points (62-53) with 5:33 left on the clock.
tra white with his sixth-straight game with a made three
WVU 50 – TCU 32 | 15:45 2H pic.twitter.com/JrE3xb2Zvc
— TCU Men’s Basketball (@TCUBasketball) February 26, 2025
The rally was short-lived as the Horned Frogs’ offense went ice-cold down the stretch. TCU managed just two points in the final five minutes, missing their last eight field goal attempts as the Mountaineers pulled away for the decisive victory.
West Virginia’s Javon Small, the Big 12’s second-leading scorer, delivered a stellar performance with 23 points and 10 assists. Small was lethal from distance, connecting on 6-of-11 attempts from three-point range. His shooting was emblematic of the Mountaineers’ overall efficiency, as the home team shot 51.9% for the game and drained 11 three-pointers – the second-most allowed by TCU this season.
Vasean Allette dished out a team-high four assists for the Horned Frogs, the eighth time this season he’s led the team in that category. Malick Diallo tied his conference high with six rebounds while adding six points.
The loss drops TCU to 2-8 in road contests this season and 8-19 all-time against West Virginia. Coach Dixon, who has faced the Mountaineers more than any other opponent throughout his career, now holds a 20-17 record against WVU.
The Horned Frogs look to rebound this Saturday when they return to Schollmaier Arena to host UCF. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.
