After slow start, TCU runs Oklahoma State off the court
The way it started, TCU had to laugh to keep from crying. But by the time the Horned Frogs finished off Oklahoma State Saturday night at Schollmaier Arena, they were laughing for all the right reasons.
The Frogs' convincing 90-70 win over the Cowboys did not start out that way. In fact, it looked like Oklahoma State was going to run TCU (18-9, 6-8 in the Big 12) off the court.
The Cowboys (15-2, 5-9) led 9-0 and 14-2 as the Frogs started the game missing their first eight shots.
But TCU's shooting woes turned around just as quickly and the Frogs led by three at halftime after making 13 of their final 20 shots to close out the half. TCU trailed 21-11 midway through the first half but outscored OSU 28-15 the final 11:24 of the half. The Frogs took their first lead 29-28 on Vladimir Brodziansky's two free throws with just under five minutes left in the first half.
"I don’t know about the first 10 minutes but I’m proud of our guys in the last 30," TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. "It was fun to watch and fun to see us compete and fun to see us respond. I challenged them and tried to get the team out there that I believe we are."
TCU kept the hot hand and kept getting hotter in the second half. The Frogs went on a 17-2 run late in the second half to pull away.
The Frogs shot 54.4 percent from the field, including over 62 percent in the second half. They made 8 of 16 shots from 3-point range, including 7 of 8 in the second half.
"We had to win this game," said forward Kenrich Williams, who scored 16 points. "Coach got on to us in the huddle, told us we have to play harder and I think we picked it up from there. We just picked up our defensive intensity."
Six TCU players scored in double figures, including Kouat Noi, who led with 19 points on 7 of 9 shooting.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, slowed down after their fast start. They made 7 of their first 10 shots but finished shooting 36.7 percent. Kendall Smith led the Cowboys with 21 points on 7 of 18 shooting.
The Frogs were back to eight scholarship players with Shawn Olden available off the bench after missing the previous two games with a concussion. The depth helps the defense, which has been a point of emphasis for Dixon.
The Frogs are in a three-way tie in the Big 12 with Texas and No. 23 Oklahoma, one game behind Baylor, which beat No. 7 Texas Tech Saturday night.
"When we have eight guys we're pretty good," he said. "I really believe in this team and how good we are. I still think we have more in us to get better."
OKLAHOMA ST. (15-12): Solomon 4-9 4-4 13, McGriff 3-8 2-2 9, Waters 2-7 3-3 7, Smith 7-18 3-4 21, Carroll 2-6 4-4 8, Sima 1-2 1-2 3, N’Guessan 0-0 1-2 1, Dziagwa 0-1 1-2 1, Averette 1-3 0-0 2, Shine 2-6 0-0 5. Totals 22-60 19-23 70.
TCU (18-9): Noi 7-9 2-2 19, Brodziansky 5-9 4-5 14, Williams 6-9 1-1 16, Bane 2-3 5-6 10, Robinson 4-8 2-2 11, Crawford 0-0 0-0 0, Hamdy 4-11 4-9 12, Miller 3-6 0-0 6, Sottile 0-1 0-0 0, Olden 0-1 0-0 0, Dry 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 31-57 20-27 90.
Halftime—TCU 39-36. 3-Point Goals—Oklahoma St. 7-20 (Smith 4-7, Solomon 1-1, Shine 1-3, McGriff 1-3, Waters 0-3, Carroll 0-3), TCU 8-16 (Williams 3-3, Noi 3-5, Bane 1-2, Robinson 1-3, Olden 0-1, Miller 0-1, Brodziansky 0-1). Fouled Out—Robinson, N’Guessan. Rebounds—Oklahoma St. 29 (Carroll 8), TCU 34 (Hamdy 8). Assists—Oklahoma St. 17 (Averette 4), TCU 21 (Robinson 9). Total Fouls—Oklahoma St. 26, TCU 21. Technicals—Smith, Robinson. A—6,588 (7,201).
This story was originally published February 17, 2018 at 9:25 PM with the headline "After slow start, TCU runs Oklahoma State off the court."