David Punch’s career day leads TCU men’s basketball over Colorado, snaps Big 12 loss streak
Thanks to a breakout performance by freshman forward David Punch, the Horned Frogs overcame an ugly first quarter start to hold off Colorado 68-57 Sunday for a much needed Big 12 victory.
The win over the Buffaloes snapped a three-game losing streak. While the win won’t do much for TCU’s NCAA Tournament hopes, it did showcase the growth of some of TCU’s younger players like Punch and Jace Posey.
Posey helped provide a spark off the bench for TCU early in the second half when Colorado went to a zone defense. The Horned Frogs put Posey in the middle of the zone and he responded with knocking down a nice a floater.
Then Posey battled through contact for a layup to increase TCU’s lead to 44-36 with just over 14 minutes remaining. Posey added nine points, the most he’s scored in a game since the season opener against Florida A&M on Nov. 4.
“That was real important, just for him to stay ready even in the limited minutes he may get,” Vasean Allette said. “He came in ready, he came in aggressive and there was no slowing down with him. That’s what we need going forward.”
With 8:52 remaining, TCU only led 53-48, but that’s when Punch sparked the game-sealing 15-2 run. He started the surge with a 3-pointer and then threw down a dunk to push the lead to 10.
After two baskets by Vasean Allette, Punch scored the next six points for TCU including another 3-pointer to put TCU ahead 68-50. Punch finished with a career-high 19 points and three 3-pointers.
Punch seeing so many long distance shots fall will hopefully be a confidence builder for the freshman forward as he’s worked hard to add 3-point shooting to his game to play alongside starting center Ernest Udeh. Opposing teams have spent all season sagging off Punch daring him to shoot and he made the Buffaloes pay for the strategy.
“It gives me a lot of confidence,” Punch said. “That’s been the biggest thing my teammates have been talking to me about. They know I can shoot and it gives me a lot confidence.”
Punch had only hit two 3s all season and regularly turned down open looks, but he opted to trust in the work he’s done behind the scenes against the Buffaloes and it ended up being the catalyst for the win. While fans were surprised by his shooting display, Punch’s teammates weren’t.
“I got to give a lot of credit to Punch,” Noah Reynolds said. “He had to play a whole lot of (center) outside of his position to help us. That just speaks to how selfless he is as an individual and you saw him in his true position shooting that thing. I was so proud of him, I see him working in the gym all the time.”
Fellow freshman Micah Robinson and Isaiah Manning also had good moments during the victory.
After TCU fell behind 11-2 to start the game, Robinson scored a quick five points including a three-point play to help TCU cut it to 15-14. Manning hit a pair of important jumpers in the second half including a 3-pointer.
After going five straight games without scoring, Manning is averaging six points over the last three. All four of the freshmen have made major strides from the beginning of the season and it’s an encouraging sign for TCU going forward that the younger players are starting to become more reliable.
This story was originally published February 2, 2025 at 5:21 PM.
