Frogs Fall in Stillwater, 89-76

In a game that was not reflective of the final score, TCU fell 89-76 after keeping it close throughout the first 35 minutes of the game. The loss drops the Frogs to 14-6 and 3-5 in Big 12 play after three consecutive conference losses.

Coach Dixon decided to change up the starting lineup for tonight’s game, choosing to start Brandon Parrish in place of JD Miller. The Frogs came out and struggled offensively in the opening minutes of the game. Going into the under-16 media timeout, TCU trailed the Cowboys 8-3 and were 1/5 from the field with 3 turnovers. Karviar Shepherd came in off the bench and provided some physicality and offense down low for the Frogs, which helped keep the game close.

The game pretty much settled in for the remainder of the first half, with both teams trading mini 4-point and 5-point runs. Kenrich Williams carried the Frogs throughout the first half, nearly finishing the half with a double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Vladimir Brodziansky also started to get it going late in the first half, adding in 7 points in the final 2:03.

Oklahoma State went into the half with a 32-29 advantage on the scoreboard, thanks in large part to Jawun Evans, who scored 12 points for the Cowboys in the first half. However, they got dominated on the boards as TCU pulled down 9 offensive rebounds and held a 24-12 rebounding advantage. The Cowboys also got into foul trouble in the first half as big men Mitchell Solomon, Leyton Hammonds, and Lucas N’Guessan, along with guard Phil Forte, all had 2 fouls.

Both teams came out stronger on offense to start the second half and were trading buckets back-and-forth, but the Frogs still could not pull ahead. Out of the under-16 timeout, the Cowboys went on a run, fueled by Davon Dillard, to extend their lead to 6. However, a three by Vlad silenced the crowd and helped TCU pull close again. A couple free throws later, Jaylen Fisher knocked down a three to pull the game even at 47. After an alley-oop by Oklahoma State and a layup by Shepherd, the teams went into the under-12 media timeout tied at 49.

Jeffrey Carroll came out of the timeout firing and dropped in a quick 5 points to put the Frogs back on their heels. The Cowboys pulled ahead to a 61-53 lead, but back-to-back threes from Miller and Robinson kept TCU in it. Oklahoma State then put together yet another run led by Jawun Evans and extended their lead to 9 with 5:02 to go in the game.

The Cowboys made 10 consecutive field goals to extend their lead to 79-67 with 2:55 to go. The Frogs kept fighting but it was too much to overcome and TCU fell 89-76 after an Oklahoma State dunk with no shot clock left.

Vlad once again led the Frogs offensively, finishing the game with 20 points and 6 rebounds. However, the MVP of the game for TCU was Kenrich, who once again finished with a double-double, dropping in 20 points and pulling down 12 boards. Alex Robinson put together a solid second half, in which he scored 13 points.

Jawun Evans led the way for Oklahoma State with 27 points on 11/17 shooting and 8 assists. Jeffrey Carroll finished the game with a double-double for the Cowboys, adding in 19 points to go with 10 rebounds and going 8/8 from the free throw line.

Up next, TCU will return to Schollmaier Arena on Saturday to host the Auburn Tigers in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Tigers are currently 13-6 overall and 3-4 in SEC play. TCU is 4-0 against SEC teams since joining the Big 12. After that, the Frogs will travel to Manhattan to face Kansas State in their second consecutive road Big 12 game.