Turnovers, lack of rebounds doom TCU basketball as Providence rolls to 79-70 victory
The TCU men’s basketball team turned it over 19 times. They lost the battle on the boards by 13. And they were without two of their better ball handlers with Francisco Farabello and PJ Fuller sidelined.
All of it combined for a disappointing Wednesday afternoon with Providence rolling to a 79-70 victory over TCU at Schollmaier Arena.
“Providence clearly deserved to win,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “We’ve got to be better than what we played. Our guys know that. Loose balls, rebounding … we didn’t do that. I’m disappointed for our fans. I’m disappointed with how we played. We’ve got to get better for it.”
TCU (4-2, 0-1 Big 12) is on a two-game losing streak and dropped to 0-2 in the Big 12/Big East Battle. Xavier defeated TCU last season. It was just the second meeting between TCU and Providence. TCU won the first matchup 79-77 on Nov. 10, 1998 in Providence.
The Friars didn’t have guard David Duke in that first meeting 22 years ago, or else it might have been a different outcome. TCU had few answers for Duke, the Providence junior guard who was named preseason All-Big East first team coming into the season.
Duke showed why in scoring a game-high 28 points, knocking down five 3-pointers along the way. He also had seven assists. Providence center Nate Watson had a solid game, too, finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds.
“He’s a good player,” TCU junior guard RJ Nembhard said of Duke. “He’s slippery on screens when he has the ball or doesn’t have the ball. I like his game a lot. He’s a tough player. It was fun battling with him.”
Nembhard led TCU with 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting with seven assists and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Mike Miles had 20 points, while Kevin Samuel finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
But the Frogs turned it over too many times, leading to 26 points by the Friars. Nembhard and Miles both had six turnovers.
“We were thinking a little too much at times,” Nembhard said. “We had a lot of guys out with Farabello and PJ. Me and Mike had to handle the ball a lot, but you can’t have six turnovers from both point guards. We have to get better in that aspect for sure.”
TCU’s big men struggled on the boards as well, being outrebounded 33-20. Junior forward Jaedon LeDee finished with only one rebound in 19 minutes.
Dixon said LeDee had been one of the best players in preseason practices before being sidelined for an extended stretch amid COVID-19 protocols.
“Jaedon hasn’t been to where we thought he’d be,” Dixon said. “Today I thought, ‘We’ve got to get this guy in there.’ Our first couple of practices he was our best player and consistently played well. I wanted to get him out there and get him some minutes and he wasn’t as productive as I hoped.”
TCU fell into an early hole in the first half with a number of players getting into foul trouble.
TCU had a 16-15 lead with 13:12 left, but Providence then went on a 16-5 run to take a 31-21 lead with 6:38 left. That stretch included a number of dunks by the Friars.
The Friars finished the half strong, too, stretching their lead to as many as 13 points — 43-30 with 1:10 left. They led 43-32 at the break.
TCU opened the second half on a 10-3 run, highlighted by 3-pointers by Nembhard and Kevin Easley, to pull within 46-42 with 17:36 left. But the Frogs never made it a one-possession game.
Providence always had an answer. When TCU pulled within 46-42, Providence responded with a dunk by Watson. The Frogs made it a four-point game on the next possession on a jumper by Nembhard, but the Friars answered again with a 3-pointer by Duke.
Providence had a comfortable lead the rest of the way.
“The way we played early in the second half is how we have to play the entire game,” Nembhard said. “We’re a young team. A lot of guys have been in and out. It’s going to come. It’s early, nobody is perfect, but there were some good things to take away in a rough loss.”
TCU faces Texas A&M on Saturday in a nonconference matchup at Dickies Arena. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. It’ll be the first meeting between the programs since the Southwest Conference folded following the 1995-96 season.
