Men’s Basketball: Second-half surge lifts TCU over Florida Gulf Coast

Vasean Allette scored a team-high 14 points off the bench as the Horned Frogs beat the Eagles 67-51.

The TCU men’s basketball team overcame a poor shooting night on Friday, outscoring Florida Gulf Coast 37-22 during the second half to beat the Eagles 67-51 and move to 2-0 on the season. Vasean Allette scored a team-high 14 points off the bench for the Horned Frogs, who won despite their 6-for-22 (27.3 percent) shooting performance from 3-point range. TCU dominated the glass, outrebounding Florida Gulf Coast 38-24 behind a strong effort from Brendan Wenzel and Ernest Udeh Jr., who combined for 16 rebounds in the game.

Trazarien White and Micah Robinson each scored nine points, with Robinson going 4-for-8 in 12 minutes off the bench. Brendan Wenzel added eight points, while three players including Frankie Collins, Noah Reynolds and Ernest Udeh Jr., finished with seven points. Jace Posey chipped in six points on 3-of-5 shooting. Reynolds and Collins combined for nine assists out of the backcourt for the Horned Frogs, who grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and blocked four shots. TCU went 11-for-14 (78.6 percent) from the free-throw line on Friday.

TCU held a one-point lead over the Eagles at halftime, but the Horned Frogs pulled away late in the second half, where an 8-0 run capped off by a 3-pointer from Vasean Allette forced a 30-second timeout for Florida Gulf Coast. Micah Robinson then drained a corner 3-pointer and Allette followed with an old fashioned 3-point play to put TCU ahead 61-49 with 4:20 remaining in the game. A trio of buckets, including a slam dunk from Robinson on an assist from Udeh Jr., gave the Horned Frogs a 16-point lead with 1:28 left in the contest. TCU will host Texas State at Schollmaier Arena on Tuesday seeking its third consecutive win.