Not Done Yet: Frogs Take Down Top Seed Iowa 94-92

In an incredible game for two offenses, it was TCU that came out on top 94-92. The Frogs were able to take down the #1 seed in their quadrant of the bracket, Iowa, and will now head back home to host a Quarterfinal game.

Iowa raced out to an 11-4 lead to open the game, but it wouldn’t last long as the Frogs would battle back to take a 14-13 lead. From then on in the 1st half, the teams traded mini-runs and TCU found themselves up 44-40 at the break. One major difference between the teams in the half was turnovers, as the Frogs were able to score 21 points off of 12 turnovers by Iowa whereas the Hawkeyes only scored 8 points off of 5 TCU turnovers.

The Hawkeyes would have been running away with the game if not for the turnovers. They shot 59.3% from the field in the first 20 minutes and were 7/14 from deep. They also held a 17-12 advantage on the boards. TCU was solid in the first half as well though, shooting 51.4% from the field and going 6/13 from beyond the arc.

Kenrich Williams and Alex Robinson each scored 10 points in the 1st half and Brandon Parrish added in 9 points off the bench, all of which came from knocking down threes. For the Hawkeyes, Peter Jok led the way with 13 points and Jordan Bohannon added in another 11 points. Both Jok and Bohannon knocked down 3 threes each in the 1st half.

TCU came out strong in the 2nd half and was able to extend their lead to double-digits, but some incredible shooting from deep by Nicholas Baer kept the Hawkeyes in the game. The Frogs seemed to have an answer for every mini-run by Iowa, but the Hawkeyes were able to make it a 77-75 game with 4:35 to go. However, Vlad answered with back-to-back scores to give the Frogs an 81-75 lead at the final media timeout.

Out of the timeout, Iowa was able to go on a 6-0 run in order to tie the game 81-81 and then Tyler Cook knocked down a free throw to put the Hawkeyes up by 1. TCU couldn’t score on their next possession but they forced a wild layup by Iowa and grabbed the board. Robinson threw an outlet pass to Parrish who advanced it to Bane who was fouled going up for a layup. The foul was deemed a flagrant one foul on Baer, which gave Bane 2 shots at the line and TCU kept possession. He knocked down one to make it 82-82 with about 50 seconds left.

The Frogs were able to burn some clock with the possession and Bane found Vlad with a great pass to give TCU an 84-82 lead with 25.8 seconds to go. Freshman Tyler Cook responded well for Iowa and was able to tie the game 84-84. Desmond Bane couldn’t knock down a game-winning three and the game was sent to OT.

In overtime, neither team was able to run away with it, but the Frogs were able to take a 90-86 lead, forcing Iowa to call timeout with 1:30 to go. Desmond Bane was able to knock down a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left to put TCU up 92-86 to go. The Hawkeyes answered though with a three by Jordan Bohannon making it a 92-89 game with 16.5 seconds remaining. Bane would knock down a pair but Bohannon answered again. Washburn then missed a pair but Iowa couldn’t score so TCU was victorious.

As a team, it was an incredible effort for a team that was missing a key starter. Despite not having Jaylen Fisher available (broken wrist), the Frogs were on fire offensively. They shot 50.7% from the field and were 10/24 from deep. TCU moved the ball well and assisted on 26 of 36 made field goals. In total, five separate players scored in double-figures for the Frogs.

Alex Robinson was the star of the game, finishing with 19 points on 7/16 shooting. Robinson also finished with 11 assists, giving him a double-double. Kenrich Williams also finished with a double-double, dropping in 15 points on 6/11 shooting to go with 10 boards. Kenny Hustle also had 6 assists and 4 steals.

Vladimir Brodziansky finished the game with 19 points on 9/12 shooting and Bane added in another 13 points. Brandon Parrish was able to contribute 14 points off the bench, doing most of his damage from behind the three point line.

Iowa had an incredible game from beyond the arc, but they were not able to overcome poor free throw shooting and a sloppy 1st half. They shot 54% from the field and were 16/30 from beyond the arc. However, they struggled at the charity stripe, where they went 8/19. Jordan Bohannon was the star for the Hawkeyes finishing with 25 points and 13 assists. Peter Jok also played well, scoring 22 points in his final collegiate game.

With the loss, Iowa’s season is finished. The Hawkeyes were 19-15 for the season, but should have high hopes going into next season. TCU on the other hand improves to 21-15 and will head back to Schollmaier Arena to host the winner of tonight’s game between Richmond and Oakland. That game will be on Tuesday at 6 pm and the winner will advance to the Semifinals at Madison Square Garden.