Three takeaways as TCU men’s basketball rallies to avoid another big upset
TCU men’s basketball avoided another early season upset as the Horned Frogs pulled away in the second half to defeat Lamar 78-65 on Monday night.
“Defensively in the second half we held them to 31%. We learned from some mistakes in the first half,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “We had our best defensive team in down the stretch when we made the run, and that was good to see.”
The win over the Cardinals sets the stage for a huge game for TCU (2-1) as it host No. 6 Michigan at 8 p.m. Friday on ESPN2.
For most of Monday’s game it felt like the Horned Frogs may have been looking ahead, as Lamar led most of the way in the first 30 minutes. But the game turned when Lamar subbed out Rob Lee Jr. midway through the second half at the 10:21 mark.
At that point Lee had 26 points and the game was tied at 56, but by the time he came back into the game, TCU had taken a 69-60 lead with just 5:05 remaining.
Jayden Pierre helped put the game away with two impressive plays as he knocked down a deep 3-pointer and threw down a dunk off a turnover to give TCU 76-63 lead with 3:03 remaining.
“We were telling ourselves to just stay aggressive,” forward David Punch said of the comeback. “When you play these teams like this that are scrappy, they have nothing to lose, and it’s on us to stay aggressive and not play down to our competition.”
Pierre finished with a season-high 18 points, and the Horned Frogs had four other players score in double figures to help TCU avoid the upset, unlike the 78-74 stunner to New Orleans in the season opener.
Here are three takeaways from the victory:
David Punch, Jayden Pierre deliver
After having to sit in the first half with foul trouble, Punch, a sophomore power forward, was one of the main catalysts to TCU’s second-half comeback. With TCU trailing 52-49, Punch stepped up and knocked down a massive 3-pointer, showcasing his improved outside shooting.
Later Punch would finally ignite the Schollmaier Arena crowd with a one-handed slam dunk in transition. Meanwhile, Pierre had his best game as a Horned Frog as he caused havoc on the defensive end while also having the best shooting game of his young TCU career.
Pierre made five straight shots at one point as TCU slowly took control of the game. Pierre’s ability to penetrate proved vital against Lamar’s athleticism, and the Horned Frogs wouldn’t have been able to win without him.
“I sat most of the first half with two fouls, so I just had to mentally stay in it,” Pierre said. “Just talking to guys on the court, guys on the sideline and staying engaged in the game. I feel like that helped me when I got back on the court.”
Rob Lee Jr. lights up TCU
The best player on the court Monday was Lamar’s Lee, a Division II transfer guard from Wayne State. Lee had a career game as he proved to be a matchup nightmare for most of the players TCU threw at him.
After scoring 15 points in the first half, Lee continued to be aggressive in the second as he thrived with his mid-range jumper. Lamar didn’t run a ton of sets for Lee; instead the Cardinals just gave him space to create and let him go one-on-one with TCU defenders, and Lee won most of his matchups. It’s no surprise TCU made its run to take control of the game when Lee was off the court.
When Lee was subbed off with 10:21 remaining the game was tied at 56, and by the time he came back in, the Horned Frogs had taken a 69-60 lead with 5:05 remaining. Lee missed his final four shots and didn’t score a field goal in the final 15:27 of the game.
“We made mistakes [in the first half],” Dixon said. “He got it going with some mid-range shots, and we fouled him on a couple of them that we gotta live with.”
Another slow start
The Horned Frogs were on pace to cruise to a blowout win after throwing a strong first punch in the opening minutes. TCU started the game hot as the Horned Frogs had three players knock down 3s in a row to lead 13-2 with 17:04 remaining in the first half.
However, the Cardinals quickly responded with a 9-0 run to cut TCU’s lead to 13-11 at the 13:36 mark. The final 13 minutes of the half would be a dogfight, as Lamar’s confidence grew with every made bucket. The combo of Jayden Barrs and Lee especially proved problematic for TCU as the two guards flourished in the mid-range with pull-up jumpers.
The Cardinals led 31-27 with less than five minutes remaining before the Horned Frogs finally made a run to retake the lead. Freshman guard Kayden “Bugg” Edwards gave TCU a boost as he knocked down a layup and then made a nice pass to Harding for a 3-pointer to TCU back in front. The Horned Frogs only led 39-38 at halftime after allowing Lamar to shoot 52% from the field.
This story was originally published November 10, 2025 at 9:18 PM.
