TCU basketball can’t close out No. 12 Missouri as Tigers rally for overtime victory
TCU coach Jamie Dixon asked himself a simple question following a 102-98 overtime loss at No. 12 Missouri on Saturday afternoon.
“How do we get this right?” Dixon said.
That’s a question most TCU basketball fans are wondering, too. The Frogs have now lost five consecutive games, including three in which they led ranked teams at halftime (vs. No. 2 Baylor on Jan. 9, at No. 15 Kansas on Thursday and at No. 12 Missouri on Saturday).
The late meltdown against Missouri ranked as the most devastating of the stretch. TCU blew an 82-70 lead with less than five minutes left in regulation.
Dixon described it as “heartbreaking” while trying to see positives.
“This is a heartbreaking loss given the lead that we had and how we had played prior to,” Dixon said. “Simply put, our defense wasn’t good enough especially down the stretch.
“We’ve had some challenges obviously, but we’ve made progress. We’ve fought. We’ve competed. We’ve executed better. We have a better understanding. We’re playing better together ... but we didn’t get it done.”
The late rally by Missouri (11-3, 4-3 SEC) gave the SEC another win in the SEC/ Big 12 Challenge, and ended any chance of TCU making program history.
The Frogs (9-7, 2-5 Big 12) were searching for their biggest road win in program history. TCU has just two road wins over ranked teams with the last — and biggest upset — coming in the 2018-19 season over No. 17 Iowa State.
Signs pointed toward TCU bettering that just a couple years later.
But Missouri rallied back from the 12-point deficit by closing on a 19-7 run in the final five minutes of regulation. TCU lost big man Kevin Samuel (fouls) with three minutes left, and couldn’t make an 87-81 lead with less than two minutes left stand.
Mizzou pulled to within 87-86 with 24 seconds left on a layup by forward Jeremiah Tilmon and a 3-pointer by Xavier Pinson.
TCU extended its lead to 89-86 with 23 seconds left on two free throws by freshman Mike Miles, but Mizzou had late magic in it. The Tigers tied the game on a second-chance 3-pointer by Pinson with three seconds left.
“It’s disappointing,” Miles said. “The 3 that sent the game into overtime, that’s the one that hurts the most, and it should. But we’re going to learn and get better.”
Miles’ heave at the buzzer missed as the game headed to overtime at 89-all.
It remained a tight battle with TCU taking a 98-97 lead with 52 seconds left in OT on an old-fashioned three-point play by forward Jaedon LeDee.
But Missouri responded and regained a 99-98 lead with a layup by Dru Smith with 44 seconds left.
TCU turned to RJ Nembhard on the next possession, but he had his shot blocked by Missouri guard Mark Smith. Smith made contact with Nembhard, but no foul was called.
Dixon didn’t have a good enough view of the play to weigh in on the no-call, but said: “We’re not going to rely on officials.”
The Tigers extended their lead to 101-98 with 27 seconds left on two free throws by Pinson, and stayed in front the rest of the way. The Frogs turned it over on the next possession and failed to get the rebound when the Tigers missed a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left.
Miles led TCU with 28 points and five assists. Junior forward Chuck O’Bannon had 17 points and five rebounds, while Nembhard finished with 15 points.
Pinson had a game-high 36 points for Missouri, while Tilmon finished with 33 points.
For TCU, it’s on to Oklahoma State on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at Schollmaier Arena.
“We’re really close [to winning],” Miles said. “I think we’re just as good as any team in the country. We’ve been up at half against some of the best teams. It’s just unfortunate that we haven’t been able to finish the games out.
“We’re going to learn and get better from these games.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2021 at 3:37 PM.
