TCU Defeats Tulsa in Nonconference Clash

TCU defeated Tulsa in a nonconference clash for the second time in less than a month thanks to Kyan Anderson's 25-point showing and a strong second-half zone defense that keyed a 70-58 victory.

It was the second time in three days that Anderson netted at least 25, as he lit up Grambling State for 27 on Thursday night in a game also contested at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. "If I'm going to get hot, this is the best time to do it," Anderson said. "I'm staying in the gym as much as I can to continue this streak. I know my team needs the offense anywhere possible."

It was a much different win in this clash between the former Western Athletic Conference foes. In its 72-65 victory at the Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 29, TCU trailed just once the entire game and led by as many as 18. On Saturday, TCU (8-3) was forced to overcome a 10-point second-half deficit in order to improve to 4-1 at home. 

"We're finding ways to win games, and we're getting contributions from everybody, and that speaks volumes to being a good team," TCU head coach Trent Johnson said. "We just need to be consistent." 

TCU picked up its intensity and forced Tulsa (4-8) into just 30.4 percent shooting from the field (7 of 23) in the second half with a more active zone that did a much better job identifying and closing out on shooters.

The play on that end of the court ignited the Horned Frogs, and especially their 5-foot-11 guard.
"Anderson kind of took control and started getting things that he wanted to get and picking us apart," Tulsa head coach Danny Manning said. "They were getting 50-50 balls. They made hustle plays and they made shots."

Anderson finished 7 of 15 shooting and scored double figures for the fifth straight game. He also made 9 of 11 from the foul line for the top free-throw shooting team in the Big 12 Conference, which made 20 of 23 overall.

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The Golden Hurricane was 15 of 34 in the first half by pounding the ball down low to the tune of 20 points in the paint. It helped the team take a 36-29 halftime lead.

"We knew Tulsa was going to come out and play extremely hard and be extremely physical," Johnson said. "One of the things we talked about as a group was being able to withstand their emotional charge to start the game. I thought our guys did a really, really good job of keeping their poise throughout the first half."

TCU took the lead for good thanks to a 20-4 run over an eight-minute span that started with an Anderson bucket at the 16:20 mark. The uprising turned a 43-33 deficit into a 53-47 Horned Frog advantage.

Later, the Golden Hurricane was doomed in by a six-minute scoreless stretch that finally was snapped on a layup by Rashad Smith with 1:56 remaining. That hoop closed the gap to 57-50, but that was the closest the Golden Hurricane could come.

"We got shots, we just didn't make shots," Manning said. For the Frogs, Brandon Parrish totaled 17 points to secure his eighth double-figure game of his freshman season. James Woodard posted his first double-double of the season and the sixth of his career (15 points, 11 rebounds) to lead Tulsa. Smith stayed true to his season-scoring average with 12.

The Golden Hurricane led by as many as 10 in the opening half, as it assisted on 12 of its 15 made field goals. TCU, meanwhile, went from 30.3 percent shooting in the opening half to being successful on 12 for 22 attempts in the second (54.5 percent).

TCU committed just 10 turnovers while forcing 17 Tulsa miscues. The Horned Frogs have now won eight of nine and own a four-game winning streak for the second time this season. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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