FORT WORTH, Texas --- Houston Christian University dropped a 101-64 decision to TCU in the middle leg of a three-game road trip on Monday night at the Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth. The Huskies took an early lead and trailed by just six with six minutes to go in the first half, but a huge run to end the frame pushed the host Frogs ahead for good.
The two teams traded baskets for the first three minutes. With the score tied at six-all,
Jay Alvarez scored on a drive to the lane to put the Huskies ahead for the first time.
Marcus Greene then followed with a three pointer, and a moment later,
Chigozie Achara got a put-back off a missed layup to give HCU a 13-6 advantage and force a TCU timeout at the 14:49 mark.
Tristan Moore and Alvarez would hit back-to-back three-pointers sandwiching a score from Greene that pushed the Huskies ahead 21-15. The Frogs then put together a run of their own, and consecutive scores from Jakobe Coles gave the hosts their first lead, 23-21 with 10:03 to go in the half.
Bonke Maring stopped the run by TCU with a jumper in the lane, but TCU would maintain its lead at 27-23 at the under-eight media timeout. The Frogs would score four more quick points out of the timeout, forcing HCU into a 30-second timeout down by eight.
A lay-in by Achara off a wrap-around pass from Greene cut the lead to six with just under six to play, and two free-throws from
Pierce Bazil cut the lead to four, 31-27 with 5:09 to go before the half.
The momentum would be short-lived however, as the Horned Frogs answered the HCU charge by scoring the next nine points. That spurt was highlighted by a layup and a three-pointer from Jameer Nelson Jr that pushed the lead to double-digits for the first time, 40-27, at the final media before the intermission.
TCU would extend the run over the next two minutes, ultimately taking a 51-29 lead into the break. The run would continue over the first eight minutes of the second frame, as the hosts used a 21-10 run out of the break and cruised the rest of the way.
The Huskies shot 42% overall but just 28.6% from the arc while attempting just eight free throws on the evening. TCU conversely shot at a 58.2% clip on the night, taking advantage of 24 HCU turnovers for 36 fast-break points.
Jay Alvarez led the HCU offense, going for a career-best 21 points with three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Chigozie Achara had a career-high 10 points to go with five rebounds, while
Michael Imariagbe chipped in nine points.
Bonke Maring had eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds to go with three assists and three steals. Leading scorer
Marcus Greene was held to just five points but did dole out a team-high seven assists.
Four players dented double-digits for the Frogs, who continued their best start to a season in six years by moving to 6-0. Emanuel Miller had 19 points, while Micah Peavy and Jameer Nelson Jr. each had 15 points. Nelson dished out a game-high 10 assists while Jakobe Coles added 12 points.
HCU falls to 0-5 on the season. The Huskies wrap up the three-game stretch away from Sharp Gym this weekend, traveling across town to face rival Rice University in a 4 pm Saturday matinee at Tudor Fieldhouse.
NOTE: The game was played in conjunction with the
"Play Smart, Save Lives" initiative.
The NABC has announced a partnership with the initiative and tonight's game was recognized as one of the first efforts to raise awareness for the need of responsible and safe gun storage.
Both teams wore warm-up shirts and socks displaying the Play Smart, Save Lives logo with announcements about the initiative being made prior to the game and during media timeouts as well.
For more information, go to
www.playsmartsavelives.org.
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