Struggles on offense doom TCU Horned Frogs in rematch at No. 14 Iowa State
Iowa State continued to be a problematic matchup for TCU: The Horned Frogs fell 71-59 to the No. 14 Cyclones in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday.
It was TCU’s fifth straight loss to Iowa State. (The Horned Frogs lost 73-72 in the matchup last month in Fort Worth.) The Cyclones led by double digits most of the game Saturday and surged out of halftime to take a massive lead that was too much to overcome.
Four of Iowa State’s first five made field goals in the second half were 3-pointers, and the Cyclones built a 44-28 lead with less than 15 minutes remaining. in the game. The Horned Frogs spent the rest of the game trying to play catch-up with various runs that were always answered by Iowa State.
TCU had 12 turnovers on Saturday after having turned it over 27 the last time the two teams played. Still, TCU scored only 59 points Saturday, the fewest the Horned Frogs have scored in a game this season.
Guards locked up
Iowa State’s style of defense requires smart and tough guard play as the Cyclones’ physical, trapping defense can wreak havoc on opposing offenses. TCU’s guards weren’t up to the task Saturday as all three primary ballhandlers struggled.
Starting point guard Avery Anderson had just five points and made one field goal. Trevian Tennyson couldn’t get anything going. He went 1 for 6 from 3 and finished with three points. Jameer Nelson was the most productive of the bunch, but Nelson also had issues creating his own shot.
Meanwhile Iowa State’s backcourt found ways to impact the game, including Curtis Jones who knocked down three 3-pointers while Keshon Gilbert added 13 points and seven assists. Starting point guard Tamin Lipsey didn’t play for Iowa State in the first win over TCU, but Lipsey returned Saturday and dished out five assists while keeping Iowa State’s offense running smoothly.
Miller shows up
The main reason TCU was able to hang around in the second half was the play of Emanuel Miller. Miller scored five points in the first half, but he came alive with 13 second-half points.
After hitting a pull-up jumper, Miller scored another basket at the rim to make it 49-41 with just under 10 minutes remaining. The Cyclones, though, stretched the lead back to double digits before Miller again scored a quick four points including a putback on a Chuck O’Bannon miss that made it 57-49.
Despite Miller’s best efforts and game-high 18 points TCU was never able to get closer than seven points in the second half.
A better start?
The last time the Horned Frogs faced Iowa State TCU played its worst 20 minutes of the season in the first half with 19 turnovers that led to a 44-26 halftime deficit.
This time the Horned Frogs were somewhat better? The first half in Ames wasn’t pretty as TCU hit two of its first four shots but then proceeded to go nearly six minutes without a point.
Iowa State used a 13-0 run to take a 17-6 advantage as a result and the lead would grow to as much as 12 points at 20-8. However, the Horned Frogs found a way to hang around with a scoring surge in the final five minutes of the half. Four different players scored during a 8-2 run that cut Iowa State’s lead to 24-20. TCU had a chance to cut it to two in the final two minutes, but Iowa State knocked down two 3s in a row to go back up double digits.
Jameer Nelson scored the final bucket of the half as TCU took a 30-22 deficit into the break. Considering how bleak the offense was at times, TCU was lucky to be in that position after shooting 27 percent from the field and missing five of eight free throw attempts.
