Men’s Basketball: TCU falls to Kansas amid second-half struggles

The Horned Frogs led at the half before being outscored by 15 in the latter 20 minutes.

The TCU Horned Frogs led by as many as 14 points before falling to the Kansas Jayhawks on their home floor on Wednesday night. TCU scored 18 points in six and a half minutes while holding the 12th-ranked Jayhawks to only six. The Horned Frogs continued the onslaught as every player got involved offensively. Seven different Frogs converted a field goal in the first 10-plus minutes.

Following the Horned Frogs’ largest lead of the evening, the Jayhawks, led by 7-foot-2 big man Hunter Dickinson, began chipping away at the deficit. The fifth-year senior scored nine points in the latter part of the first half. With five minutes to go, the Jayhawks had already cut TCU’s substantial lead to only three points at 30-27. Kansas would go on to tie the game at 33 with just over a minute left—capping off a 23-9 run. TCU guard Vasean Allette put the Frogs back in front, 35-33 before the half.

TCU and Kansas went back-and-forth to begin the second half. Although the Jayhawks built a slight lead, the Horned Frogs continued to respond. With just over 13 minutes to go in the second half, a Trazarien White triple cut the Jayhawks lead to one. Not long after, a scuffle ensued when White, Allette, and Dickinson scrapped for a loose ball after a rebound. The dust-up caused a stir, simultaneously bringing the crowd back into the game and building momentum for TCU.

However, the momentum was short-lived. TCU regained the lead by a point before the Jayhawks exploded offensively. Kansas went on a 14-2 run to ice the game with over five minutes remaining. TCU would cut the Jayhawks lead to seven, but could never inch closer. Behind efficient offense, Kansas would go onto seal their fifth conference victory, 74-61.

After an impressive start against the 12-ranked Jayhawks, the Horned Frogs momentum went by the wayside. TCU shot only 37.9 percent from the field and 20.8 percent from long range. Although the Frogs won the turnover battle and outrebounded the Jayhawks on the offensive end, they struggled to muster good looks. The Jayhawks shot a blazing 55.6 percent from the field, led by Dickinson’s 16 on a 70 percent conversion rate. Four other Jayhawks scored in double-digits—all shooting above 50 percent from the floor.

The Horned Frogs were led by guards Noah Reynolds and Allette. Reynolds scored 14 while Allette chipped in 13. Only one other Frog, Brendan Wenzel, scored in double-digits. The three-point marksman contributed 11 points although he connected on just one of eight triples. In his second consecutive start, White added nine points and four rebounds.

Following the loss, TCU will travel to Orlando to take on the 13-8 UCF Knights on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. CT. The Knights are 3-4 in conference play after losing two consecutive contests to the seventh-ranked Houston Cougars and third place Iowa State Cyclones.