TCU basketball overcomes sluggish start, avoids upset to Incarnate Word
TCU basketball avoided an upset bid by Incarnate Word thanks to a strong performance by David Punch in the second half to defeat the Cardinals 69-65 on Monday night.
The Horned Frogs had to shake off some early rust after having eight days off since their Dec. 7 win over North Texas.
“I certainly liked how we executed down the stretch, how we defended down the stretch,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “Our preparation was good this week, but we just didn’t play as well as I thought we would play. We have to recognize that and use these two days to get better before Oral Roberts.”
After trailing for most of the game, TCU (7-3) didn’t take control of the contest until the final minute.
Incarnate Word’s Davion Bailey knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 65 with 1:11 remaining, but Brock Harding came up with the shot of the game as he rebounded his own miss for a put-back layup with 38 seconds to put TCU ahead 67-65.
The Horned Frogs needed to make one more stop and were successful in keeping the ball away from Bailey, who had 32 points. The Cardinals (5-6) committed a turnover with 15.7 seconds remaining, and Harding was able to put the game away with two free throws as TCU avoided another bad loss at home.
Defense played a key role in TCU’s comeback. After the Cardinals shot 50% in the first half, the Horned Frogs limited Incarnate Word to just 38% in the second half.
“We had a talk in the locker room. We can’t let teams like that sneak up on us,” Punch said. “It’s simple as that, we just had to want it more than them.”
The main focus of the defense was slowing down Bailey, who single-handedly kept the Cardinals in control of the game as he knocked down a career-high nine 3-pointers. Bailey had 16 points in the first half and continued to light up TCU to start the second as he scored 11 of the Cardinals’ first 13 points to help Incarnate Word maintain a 50-42 lead with 15:51 remaining.
But that also marked the beginning of the comeback, as TCU would hold Bailey scoreless over the next nine minutes. While Bailey was held in check, Punch, a sophomore forward, came alive and began to take over the game on both ends of the floor.
Punch scored a bucket in the lane and then knocked down four straight free throws to cut the deficit to 56-52. A few possessions later, Punch broke up an alley-oop attempt on one end and then came down and made a post hook shot to tie the game at 56 with 8:28 remaining.
“[Punch] willed us tonight,” Dixon said. “He’s a voice now in the huddle. We really talked to him about being that. He has the ability to do a lot of things, but the best thing he does is rebound and score around the basket.”
The teams remained in a one-possession battle until Harding’s heroics in the final seconds.
Punch finished with his second straight double-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. He scored 15 of his points in the second half.
“It was a slow start for me, but my team needed me,” Punch said. “I know that, and my team knows that. It’s never on me to just say, ‘I’m out this game.’ I can’t do that, and as a leader I can’t do that. I have to be better. I just didn’t want to lose that game.”
Harding and Liutauras Lelevicius scored 13 each.
The Horned Frogs next host Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. Thursday at Schollmaier Arena.
This story was originally published December 15, 2025 at 9:27 PM.
