Jace Posey’s career night leads TCU men’s basketball to Big 12 road win over Arizona State
Freshman Jace Posey’s career night and a clutch 3 by Noah Reynolds helped Texas Christian University secure a marquee late-season 74-70 Big 12 road win over Arizona State on Saturday.
The Sun Devils (12-13, 3-11) aren’t a blueblood or Top 25 opponent, but Arizona State does qualify as a Quad 1 win for TCU. The Horned Frogs (14-11, 7-7) desperately needed to add a quality win after entering the game 1-8 in Quad 1 opportunities.
One Quad 1 win isn’t enough to completely change TCU’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament, but it’s a start and the Horned Frogs can credit Posey with leading the charge.
Posey’s career-high 20 points allowed TCU to lead by multiple possessions much of the second half, including the Horned Frogs leading by as many as 13. But TCU allowed the Sun Devils to battle back and tie the game at 67 with 43 seconds remaining.
Reynolds answered with a 3-pointer of his own that rolled around the rim before finally going through the net with 18 seconds remaining to go up 70-67. Vasean Allette hit four free throws down the stretch to ice the game for TCU.
Reynolds had 19 while Allette added 14, but it was the redshirt freshman wing who led the way. Posey has seen his role steadily increase over the last five games and he continued to show why head coach Jamie Dixon is trusting him more on the floor.
Posey played downhill all game and kept attacking the Arizona State defense in the paint. Posey was a perfect 5 for 5 midway through the second half with every basket coming in the paint.
He brushed off contact and converted a three-point play to give the Horned Frogs a 51-39 lead with 14:23 remaining in the game. While Posey was leading the charge on offense, TCU also had a strong game collectively on defense.
The Sun Devils had multiple stretches of at least three minutes without field goals as the Horned Frogs forced 14 turnovers and made life difficult in the paint.
It was the second straight game where TCU had to avoid a late second-half collapse after Allette’s 3-point shot helped the Horned Frogs beat Oklahoma State on Feb. 12. The two wins now have the Horned Frogs in prime position to finish over .500 in conference play.
TCU faces Texas Tech at 7 p.m Tuesday.
This story was originally published February 15, 2025 at 9:36 PM.
