TCU men not impressed with win over Furman
What TCU coach Trent Johnson saw in the locker room after an 80-69 victory over Furman might have impressed him more than anything he saw during the game.
“The good thing about this is it was a very solemn locker room,” he said.
It might have been the quietest postgame scene this season for the Horned Frogs, who were coming off a 3-0 road trip that included a win at Ole Miss. They shot almost 60 percent and went to 9-0 on Tuesday night at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.
But they narrowly won the rebounding battle, went 20 of 34 on free throws and had nine turnovers against the Paladins (2-5).
“Obviously, winning is important,” Johnson said. “But defensively, we just were not very good. I mean, a lot of credit has to go to Furman. They were undersized at every position, and for us to have a rebounding differential of one speaks volumes for their aggressiveness and our lack [thereof].”
TCU did not trail after making up an 8-5 deficit with back-to-back buckets from Amric Fields (14 points, two rebounds). But the lead was only 33-29 at halftime, Furman scored the first basket of the second half and although the Frogs steadily gained control, they never had much more than 10 points of separation the rest of the way.
“We’re very fortunate to win this basketball game,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t a question of offense. It wasn’t a question of our ability to take care of the ball. It had to do with the defense. They had way too many uncontested shots, and I thought they beat us at the point of attack on numerous occasions.”
So the solemn locker room makes sense, not that Johnson expected it. Or maybe he did.
“I expect these guys to understand that when we don’t play well, it is what it is,” he said. “These guys expected to go in and beat Ole Miss. They know. I didn’t expect to go in there and guys be happy. But they understand.”
Maybe Johnson was glad to see it. Or maybe he wasn’t.
“I’d have been glad to see us play and defend like we’re capable of playing,” he said. “I don’t like being unhappy.”
Trey Zeigler also scored in double figures for TCU, finishing with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes while also playing backup point guard in place of Chauncey Collins, who was out with a concussion.
The Frogs got 21 points from Kyan Anderson and 11 off the bench from Kenrich Williams.
Stephen Croone had 23 points for Furman, which shot 51.1 percent, including 8 for 20 on 3-pointers.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy,” Johnson said. “My sentiments are the same as theirs in the locker room. They know.”
Carlos Mendez, 817-390-7407
This story was originally published December 10, 2014 at 5:03 PM with the headline "TCU men not impressed with win over Furman."