Horned Frogs pull away from Texas State with second half surge, 76-71
TCU’s guards played their best when it mattered the most as the Horned Frogs overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Texas State 76-71 Tuesday night at Schollmaier Arena.
Defensive issues and a lack of efficiency at the free throw line caused TCU to find itself down 37-35 at the half against the Bobcats.
“Texas State gave us everything we thought we would get,” coach Jamie Dixon said after the win. “They’re an old team, they’re experienced. They’re well-coached, they’re tough and they’re physical.”
The Horned Frogs adjusted to the physicality and ramped up their defensive effort to seize control of the game. Offensively in the second half, senior point guard Frankie Collins put the team on his back and willed the Horned Frogs back in front.
TCU opened the half on a 9-2 run sparked by Collins, who scored two buckets in transition to put TCU ahead 44-39. It was a preview of what was to come; Collins relentlessly got downhill into the paint to put pressure on the Texas State defense.
After the Bobcats cut it to 55-52 with 9:54 remaining, Collins helped break the game open by a sparking another 9-0 run with two more baskets in the lane. Another bucket at the rim by Collins increased TCU’s lead to 67-54 with 6:20 remaining.
A late 3-pointer would cut TCU’s lead to 72-68 with just over a minute remaining, but Collins would make a free throw and then the Horned Frogs forced a turnover with 57.9 seconds remaining. Texas State cut it to 74-71 with a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining, but Noah Reynolds iced the game with a pair of of free throws with 1.5 seconds left on the clock.
Despite some shaky free throw shooting down the stretch, the Horned Frogs did just enough to survive against a quality mid-major opponent. TCU shot just 15 of 32 from the free-throw line.
Collins took just one shot in the first half, but then rallied to score all 13 of his points in the second half along with six assists. Collins said he just the game come to him naturally and didn’t force the issue.
“I think things just opened up for me because I was so passive (in the first half) and getting my teammates some easy, open shots,” Collins said. “Things just opened up for me. It was more so just playing the right way and sometimes baskets will find you.”
The Horned Frogs will now prepare to hit the road for the first time this season as TCU will face Michigan at 5 p.m. Friday.
White’s breakout
Trazarien White was one of the top scoring mid-major forwards last season at UNC Wilmington, but he hadn’t scored in double figures for TCU in two regular season games and the exhibition win over Arkansas. That changed quickly in the first half against the Bobcats as White, a Mansfield Timberview grad, showed why he was such a significant pickup for TCU out of the transfer portal.
After a Reynolds layup to open the game, White scored the next seven points for TCU, including a corner 3-pointer. White dazzled the crowd when he hit a nice a smooth turn around jumper over a defender for his ninth point of the half. White scored 12 in the first half as TCU found itself in a game that was closer than expected.
White wasn’t asked to do much in the second half as the guards took over, but he did make a clutch bucket in the paint to increase TCU’s lead to 72-63 with three minutes left. White finished with a season-high 16 points.
“I give all the credit to my teammates, they were putting me in spots to make plays,” White said. “I think all of this is a work in progress, we’re all trying to figure out our roles and what the team needs from us. Tonight they needed scoring, so that’s what I gave them.”
Reynolds shines
Similar to White, Reynolds has been quiet the first few games as he’s opted to be more of a playmaker than a scorer. But with TCU locked in a battle with the Bobcats, the Green Bay transfer played his best game as a Horned Frogs. Reynolds made his first six shots from the field and kept the Horned Frogs close with 10 points in the first half.
In the second half Reynolds made a number of key plays, including a nice layup inside that gave TCU a 59-52 lead with 8:47 remaining in the game. A few plays later Reynolds found an open Brendan Wenzel in transition for a wide open 3-pointer than extended TCU’s lead to 64-52.
Reynolds finished with 17 points and five assists.
“I had no problem with my production in the first couple of games,” Reynolds said. “The only thing I look at at the end of the day is whether we won or lost and what I can do better the next game.”
Lackluster half
The Horned Frogs seemed well on their way to a potential blowout as TCU came out firing against the Bobcats. TCU made its first seven shots and led 16-6 after a 3-pointer by Wenzel. The Horned Frogs’ ball movement was on point and the offense played with pace, but things would change after the first media timeout as Texas State began chipping into the lead.
The Horned Frogs had one stretch where the offense went over five minutes without a field goal and that drought helped open the door for Texas State. The Bobcats went on a 16-2 run to take a 31-25 lead with most of the points coming at the free-throw line. Texas State did a good job of attacking the interior of the TCU defense as the Bobcats’ guards would penetrate, force a TCU big to commit one way and then find an open man for a shot at the rim.
TCU’s defense finally began to wake up as the Horned Frogs held the Bobcats to just to two field goals in the final 4:45 of the half. A pair of 3s from Reynolds and White along with three points from freshman David Punch cut Texas State’s lead to 37-35 at halftime.
The Horned Frogs allowed Texas State to hover above 55% shooting from the field most of the first half until the final five minutes. Offensively, the Horned Frogs ball movement was inconsistent as TCU had seven assists and seven turnovers while only making five of their 12 free throws.
This story was originally published November 12, 2024 at 9:49 PM.
