Men’s Basketball: Horned Frogs endure crucial loss to West Virginia in Morgantown

TCU’s tournament hopes may be too far gone.

The TCU Horned Frogs have fallen to 15-13 on the season and 8-9 in the Big 12. Following three consecutive victories, including a three-point victory over ninth-ranked Texas Tech, the Horned Frogs have now dropped back-to-back games. TCU came out strong in its 17th conference game against the West Virginia Mountaineers, scoring the first five points of the contest. Then, the unexpected happened. West Virginia scored the next 18 points of the contest, building a 13-point lead with just under 10 minutes to go. A Brendan Wenzel jumper ended the drought, only for West Virginia to score the next five points.

The Horned Frogs’ offense struggled mightily, scoring merely seven points in 12 minutes of action. Javon Small and the Mountaineers would continue pouring it on, leading by as many as 18 with just over five minutes to go. Two Malick Diallo lay-ups and a Trazarien White jumper would narrow the deficit. Then, six straight points from the Mountaineers led to a 22-point advantage. Three consecutive buckets and a free throw from Jace Posey ultimately cut West Virginia’s lead to 15 at the break.

A White three-pointer to begin the second-half gave the Frogs some hope, before five straight Mountaineers’ points dashed any optimism. West Virginia held a steady, 15-to-20 point lead for much of the first part of the second-half. TCU continued to struggle to find the bottom of the net while Small created offense for the Mountaineers. The Horned Frogs finally began to chip away at the massive deficit near the six-minute mark. As Jamie Dixon began upping TCU’s ball pressure, the Mountaineers began to turn it over. TCU’s offense remained uninspired, but the relentless defense aided in a minor comeback. An Ernest Udeh Jr. dunk and a Posey and-one trimmed West Virginia’s lead to nine with five-and-a-half minutes to go.

Following Posey’s layup, a Small jumper and assist led to five quick points for the Mountaineers. TCU and West Virginia would go two minutes without points before a pair of Noah Reynolds free throws ultimately ended the dry spell. The two free throws were Reynolds’ only points and the Horned Frogs last of the night. TCU ended the evening with only 55 points, allowing the Mountaineers to score 73.

Reynolds tied a season-low with two points. He did not record a field goal for the second time this season and the first time in Big 12 play. The Mountaineers relentless pressure created discomfort for the senior guard. White was the only Frog to score in double-digits, totaling 11 points. Vasean Allette, who scored 22 against West Virginia in the first matchup, had only eight points and turned it over four times. The freshman trio of Diallo, Posey, and Robinson contributed 18 points off the bench. West Virginia’s Small was nearly unstoppable against the Horned Frogs. Small dropped 23 points and recorded 10 assists.

The Mountaineers nearly quadrupled TCU’s three-point output and almost doubled their assist totals. West Virginia cashed in on 11 triples and totaled 17 assists on the night. TCU shot only 39.2 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent from downtown. Despite forcing 13 turnovers, including five in a five-minute-span in the second-half, the Horned Frogs lost the turnover battle 14-13.

TCU will return to Fort Worth to take on the UCF Golden Knights on Saturday, March 1 at 3 p.m. CT. TCU’s matchup against UCF will be the second of the season. The first contest ended in a 27-point defeat for the Horned Frogs in late January.