TCU men’s basketball improves to 10-1 in rout of Grambling State, 90-55

When TCU junior guard Damion Baugh walked out of the post-game interview, he had one question for the team’s communications director Steven Schoon.

“Can I keep the stat sheet?” Baugh asked. “I’m going to give it to my mom. She’s going to frame it.”

Baugh had a big night for the Horned Frogs, turning in his first career double-double performance with season-high tying 13 points and a season-high 11 assists in a 90-55 win over Grambling State at Schollmaier Arena Tuesday night.

It marked the first time a Horned Frog had accomplished the feat with points and assists since Alex Robinson did it on March 20, 2019, in an 82-69 NIT victory over Sam Houston State.

The 10-1 Frogs, who have won seven straight, scored a season-high 90 points without sophomore guard Mike Miles, who missed the game with a non-COVID illness, and sophomore forward Xavier Cork, who sustained a foot injury in practice Monday.

Junior forward Chuck O’Bannon scored a team-high and season-high 19 points, including going 4-for-8 on three-pointers. O’Bannon, who had a season-high eight rebounds, has topped double-figure scoring in the Frogs’ last three games.

O’Bannon said the team was up to the challenge of playing without Miles, who leads the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game, and Cork.

“As a team, we know we have guys that can play,” O’Bannon said. “Not having Mike and Xavier, the next guy has to step up, and that’s exactly what we did. We got the win.”

Junior forward Emanuel Miller finished with season-high 18 points and completed a double-double with 10 rebounds. Freshman forward Jakobe Coles came off the bench and contributed 12 points.

The Frogs finished with 21 assists and outrebounded the Tigers (3-9), 52-21.

“I liked how we were unselfish,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “I think we are kind of getting there. We had 21 assists, and the rebounding is a constant. It has to be. I thought we addressed some things defensively that we weren’t as good at against Georgetown.”

TCU used a 16-0 run in the first half to put the game away. A driving layup by Coles with 4:51 gave the Frogs a 36-19 lead. TCU held a 47-28 advantage at halftime.

Dixon said he was glad to see a nice-sized crowd on hand even without the students on campus. He also remarked on how loud things were at times.

The biggest cheer of the night came when freshman Darius Ford, who played at Fort Worth Young Men’s Leadership Academy, hit a layup off an offensive rebound with 49 seconds left. It was Ford’s first playing time and points of the season. The bench erupted following Ford’s basket.

Just 40 seconds earlier, sophomore center Souleymane Doumbia brought the bench to its feet when he hit a three-pointer. Doumbia came into the game having scored four points.

“That was crazy,” Baugh said of Ford’s basket. “He’s from Fort Worth. It was great for him. We know how hard he works to help us prepare for teams.”

The big lead also allowed Dixon to get senior guard Harrison Ford, a former team manager, and freshman guard Cole Despie into the game.

The Frogs next game is on Dec. 29, when they will host Texas Southern at 7 p.m. The contest can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Miles earns Big 12 honors

TCU sophomore point guard Mike Miles was honored Monday as the Big 12 Player of the Week.

Miles scored 14 second-half points on the way to a team-high 20-point effort in the Horned Frogs, 80-73, victory at Georgetown Saturday.

He connected on three of six three-pointers and contributed five assists, six rebounds, and three steals as TCU helped the Big 12 tie the series in the Big East/Big 12 Battle.

The accolade marked the third time the sophomore from Lancaster High School garnered Big 12 weekly honors. Last season, he was the Big 12 Newcomer of Week twice.

This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 12:56 AM.