TCU 103, Central Arkansas 57: Frogs eclipse century mark

TCU men’s basketball closed out the nonconference slate with an explosive offensive showing against Central Arkansas, posting a season-best scoring total as the Horned Frogs crushed the Bears 103-57 to extend their winning streak to nine games. The No. 18 ranked Frogs (11-1) will open the Big 12 schedule against Texas Tech on Saturday at 11 a.m. in DFW.

Mike Miles and Emanuel Miller led the charge for the Horned Frogs, with Miles scoring 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 11-of-13 shooting from the free-throw line while Miller recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting. Five TCU players reached double figures in the game including Damion Baugh (13 points, five rebounds, six assists), Shahada Wells (12 points, six rebounds, five assists) and JaKobe Coles (12 points, seven rebounds). Chuck O’Bannon and Eddie Lampkin combined for 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Horned Frogs, who led Central Arkansas 49-25 at halftime.

TCU shot a tick over 52 percent from the field in the game, but the Horned Frogs made their cheddar at the free-throw line, where their aggressive drives to the basket resulted in 25 attempts and 20 makes from the charity stripe. TCU outrebounded the Bears 50-39 and dished out 28 assists while forcing 18 Central Arkansas turnovers. The Horned Frogs thrived on pushing the pace, outscoring the Bears 40-0 on the fastbreak and outpacing Central Arkansas 29-7 in points off turnovers. TCU finished with six blocked shots in the win.

Xavier Cork chipped in six points off the bench for the Horned Frogs, who were without Micah Peavy on Wednesday evening. TCU will enter the Big 12 schedule as one of four teams with 11-1 records in the conference (No. 4 Kansas, No. 6 Texas and Kansas State). Five of the 10 Big 12 schools are currently in the top-25 rankings, with Baylor sitting at No. 12 while West Virginia hangs on with the No. 24 ranking. TCU’s first conference road game will be at Baylor on Wednesday, Jan. 4 with the game scheduled for an 8 p.m. tip-off.