LUBBOCK — A combined 38 points and 17 rebounds from Texas Tech forwards Jordan Tolbert and Dejan Kravic did not come as a shock to TCU coach Trent Johnson.
Johnson was prepared to witness such production, if not more, as he watched his Horned Frogs (10-19, 1-15 Big 12) lose to the Red Raiders 72-63 on Saturday at United Spirit Arena.“Tolbert, [Jaye] Crockett and Kravic, I mean, they can score,” Johnson said. “And we knew going in that they were going to go and attack us in the post, and rightfully so. We’re limited there in terms of our size and strength.”Tolbert, from Fort Worth All Saints, scored a game-high 22 points. Crockett had four points for Tech (10-17, 3-13).Johnson did not hesitate to praise Tech’s talent in the front court but suggested his team’s interior defense would surrender points to even the most random of individuals.“Let’s be honest here, me and you can probably score on us in the post,” Johnson said, singling out a reporter.The Horned Frogs trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half before making a run to shrink the deficit to as little as three with less than five minutes left in the game.TCU’s run was sustained in large part to free throws and key shots by guard Kyan Anderson. Anderson led TCU with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including four 3-pointers.“I think just going with the flow of the offense, really,” Anderson said of TCU’s rally. “You know, doing whatever Coach is asking and staying with what we do well.”TCU converted 7 of 8 free-throw attempts during that run to help close the gap. Led by Devonta Abron’s game-high 12 free-throw attempts, TCU sent players to the line 28 times to Tech’s 20.Abron scored well above his season average of 7.1 points per game, logging 16 on 4-of-9 shooting to accompany his six rebounds. Forward Adrick McKinney scored 10 points and led the team with seven rebounds.Down the stretch, the Horned Frogs’ inability to create stops, keep the Red Raiders out of the paint and capitalize on quality scoring opportunities proved too much to overcome.“We put a lot of pressure on our offense when we can’t get stops,” Johnson said. “And we put a lot of pressure on our defense when we can’t shoot the ball. So that’s been our theme all year long.”TCU travels to Kansas State on Tuesday before returning to Fort Worth for its regular-season finale against Oklahoma on March 9.
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