TCU more than happy with ‘ugly win’ over Florida in SEC/ Big 12 Challenge
It wasn’t pretty down the stretch.
TCU and Florida combined to make just one basket from the field in the final four minutes. But the Frogs had no complaints on Saturday, leaving with a 55-50 win over the Gators as part of the SEC/ Big 12 Challenge at Schollmaier Arena.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” said junior guard Desmond Bane, who scored 17 points and had six rebounds.
“It’ll help us a lot down the stretch, just being able to win ugly. I think that’s the thing we struggled to do in the past. We’ve done it a few times now, been able to win a couple close games, which is huge for us and our program.”
TCU, which is known more for its offense under coach Jamie Dixon, has won its last two games by scoring 65 and 55 points against Texas and Florida, respectively. Saturday marked the first time in the Dixon era that the Frogs won when scoring fewer than 60 points.
But a win is a win and defense is something that Dixon has been preaching of late.
The Frogs (15-4, 3-3 Big 12) know they’ll have to win with defense and rebounding the rest of the way. They’re in the midst of a stretch against some of the best teams in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com, with K-State and Florida ranked among the top 10. Texas is a top 20 team too.
TCU’s next opponent, Texas Tech, is the top-ranked team in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency.
So TCU is adjusting accordingly.
Dixon joked that every one of sophomore forward Kouat Noi’s team-leading 22 points were “critical.”
“There was only 55 points, so pretty much all were at good times,” Dixon said. “We didn’t have any to spare. I don’t know if I’ve ever won a game with 23 points in the second half.
“We’re not the perfect team yet. We’re working on it. Great win.”
It didn’t seem like it’d be as close as it was. The Frogs enjoyed a 16-point lead late in the first half, but the Gators got back in it.
TCU scored just two points in the first seven minutes of the second half. Florida took advantage, tying the game at 34-34 on a 3-pointer by Andrew Nembhard (no relation to TCU’s RJ Nembhard) with 13:13 left.
TCU never trailed, though, and pushed ahead 44-36 as part of an 8-0 run with 9:43 left, thanks in large part to consecutive 3-pointers by Noi and Lat Mayen.
“Just patience toward the end,” said Noi, who reached the 20-point mark for the third time this season.
“The ball was moving around and just finding open plays.”
Florida couldn’t make it a one-possession game until the final seconds even though TCU had consecutive shot-clock violations with a 51-47 lead late in the game.
The Frogs, in fact, went on a four-plus minute scoring drought from a 3-pointer by Noi at the 4:25 mark to a pair of free throws made by Bane with 22 seconds left.
Florida endured its own scoring drought. Florida made just one shot from the field in the final four minutes, a 3-pointer by Keyontae Johnson to make it 53-50 with 3.9 seconds left.
Bane knocked down a pair of free throws with 2.2 seconds left to seal it.
TCU couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
The Frogs took a 32-16 lead with 2:12 left in the first half when Noi drilled a 3-pointer. Noi had 14 points in the opening half.
But Florida scored the final four points of the first half, and went to the locker rooms down 32-20. The 20 points matched a season-low for first-half points for the Gators, who scored just 20 in their season-opening loss against Florida State.
“TCU is really good defensively,” Florida coach Mike White said. “Jamie Dixon’s teams are going to guard you well every year. They’re sound, obviously well-prepared. They showed us something that we haven’t quite seen as much in how they defended ball screens. Kind of a curve ball.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2019 at 1:05 PM.