Horned Frogs come up short against Nevada in disappointing defeat
TCU squandered an opportunity to add a quality win in a disappointing 88-75 loss to Nevada in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii on Friday.
The Horned Frogs are now 0-2 in potential Quad 1 matchups and will enter Big 12 play without any notable win for their NCAA Tournament resume.
The game started well for TCU as the two teams were tied at 23 midway through the first half. With the Wolf Pack playing at their pace and keeping the Horned Frogs out of transition, TCU fell behind 35-27 as coach Jamie Dixon picked up a technical foul with his frustration with the officiating.
Dixon picked up a second technical foul with about four minutes remaining in the first half and was ejected as Nevada took a 41-31 edge. It was one of the largest deficits of the season for the Horned Frogs who went into the half down 48-36.
TCU allowed Nevada to hit more than 50 percent of its shots in the first half and wasn’t much better in the second half as the Wolf Pack led by as many as 20 at point before the Horned Frogs made the score more respectable.
Emanuel Miller led TCU with 24 points while Micah Peavy and Avery Anderson added 11 each. It wasn’t enough to offset Nevada’s balanced offense that had five players reach double figures.
Jarod Lucas was the catalyst with 25 points including making all 13 of his free throws. Aside from Lucas’ performance, the Wolf Pack also won the 3-point battle as TCU’s 3-point defense was exploited.
Nevada hit eight 3s compared to just three for TCU, which finished the game 3-of-14 behind the arc. The Horned Frogs will face Hawaii on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in the tournament’s third-place game.
This story was originally published December 22, 2023 at 6:26 PM.
