Men’s Basketball: Late foul dooms Horned Frogs’ chances of knocking off Baylor

The roller coaster season continues for TCU.

Following an impressive 89-78 win over the UCF Knights this past weekend, the TCU Horned Frogs hosted the Baylor Bears with Big 12 and NCAA Tournament implications. For a second consecutive game, Jamie Dixon trotted out freshman Jace Posey alongside the usual starters, Noah Reynolds, Vasean Allette, David Punch, and Ernest Udeh Jr. The rivals began the contest trading buckets before the Bears would go on a 12-to-2 run to take a nine-point lead after seven minutes of play. The Frogs would then mount a comeback, scoring eight points within two minutes, including two fast-break dunks.

Following Allette’s steal-and-slam, the Bears scored five quick points to regain control. However, the Frogs wouldn’t go away. TCU tied the game after a Malick Diallo offense rebound and subsequent lay-in with three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half. TCU’s efficient offense and opportunistic defense ultimately led to the tie. The Horned Frogs scored 10 points off Baylor turnovers in the first half alone.

The rivals went back-and-forth as the first half winded down. TCU even took a 35-33 lead after Trazarien White hit a jumper with over a minute remaining. The second advantage of the first 20 minutes was short-lived—the Bears converted a layup with 25 seconds to even the score at 35 at the half.

After a ho-him first half of play, the second half began flat. TCU’s first bucket, a Reynolds triple, came after three minutes of action. The three-pointer gave the Frogs the lead, 39-37. 20 seconds later, the Bears tied the game. Two minutes later, Baylor’s lead grew to four points. As Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew switched up his defense to a zone, the Horned Frogs offense simultaneously began to struggle. TCU kept it close, within four points, before back-to-back Norchad Omier three-pointers ballooned the Bears’ lead to 10 with just over 10 minutes to go.

While TCU’s offense was stymied in the second-half, the Frogs put the clamps on the Bears’ offense as the latter 10 minutes ensued. Baylor took a 56-45 lead with seven minutes to go—TCU’s largest deficit of the game. The double-digit deficit didn’t last for long. As the Frogs continued to play frenetic defense, a Micah Robinson triple and a White dunk cut the Bears’ lead to six with over five minutes left in the game.

TCU’s late push began around the two-minute mark. Allette scored a layup to narrow the deficit to four, 58-54. An athletic Punch drive resulted in two free throws, narrowing the lead once more. After a stout defensive possessions with under a minute remaining, White converted a tough floater to tie the contest at 58 with 23 seconds to go. The final seconds of the game were defined by a late foul call on Allette. Baylor’s Robert Wright III drove right, only to be cut-off by Allette who was called for a foul. The senior guard converted both free throws to give the Bears a two-point lead, 60-58. The final point of the game came after an out-of-bounds call and subsequent foul leading to an Omier free-throw.

Seniors Reynolds and White led the Horned Frogs in scoring. Reynolds contributed 16, while White had 11 on senior night. Allette filled up the box score, dropping nine points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out four assists, and tying a season-high with four steals.

After scoring 35 points and shooting 46.4 percent from the floor in the first half, Baylor held the Frogs to merely 23 points and 23.3 percent shooting in the latter 20 minutes. TCU shot 34.5 percent for the game, converting 20-of-58 field goal attempts.

The loss puts TCU at 16-14 on the year and 9-10 in the Big 12. After nearing a tournament projection, the Horned Frogs’ hopes of competing in the Big Dance are hanging on by a thread.

The Horned Frogs will play their final regular season game against the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, March 8 at 3 p.m. CT. The Big 12 Tournament will commence days later, on Tuesday, March 11 in Kansas City, Missouri.