SAN DIEGO -- TCU came out firing, making five of its first six shots and led No. 17 San Diego State by as much as seven in the first half Saturday at Viejas Arena.
But then the Aztecs' stars began to heat up and the Horned Frogs never had an answer.San Diego State defeated TCU 83-73 in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,414 behind the shooting of Jamaal Franklin, who led all scorers with 24 points, and Chase Tapley, who scored nine of his 14 points in the second half. Six of those points came in the first three minutes after the break to help the Aztecs begin to pull away with an 11-point lead."We just had guys play poorly and we brought guys in on off the bench and they made the same mistakes," TCU coach Jim Christian said. "So sometimes you feel helpless."In the first half, TCU shot nearly 61 percent from the field but still trailed by seven at the break. But a quick start in the second half put the Aztecs up by 13, and the Frogs never closed the deficit to fewer than 10 points in the last 16:32."We played with no discipline at either end of the floor, and obviously when you do that against a good team they beat you," Christian said."All the little things you need to do to win a game -- block out, take care of the basketball, find the open player -- we just didn't do tonight."TCU (13-9, 3-4 Mountain West) was led by former North Crowley star Kyan Anderson.He had 22 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, but was 1 for 4 the rest of the game.TCU's hot hand cooled in the second half to 30 percent, after scorching the nets in the first half.But Christian was most irked by the Frogs' sloppiness. TCU committed 16 turnovers, including 12 in the first half, which helped the Aztecs take command in the first 20 minutes.The Aztecs (20-3, 6-1), alone atop the MWC after the first round of league play, led by as much as 18 in the second half, slicing and dicing the Frogs' defense in the paint.The Aztecs outrebounded the Frogs 35-21 and held a 17-9 advantage on second-chance points.Stefan Stevenson, 817-390-7760Twitter: @FollowtheFrogsHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
