TCU puts on a show in blowout win over West Virginia, 81-65

After playing thriller after thriller, TCU finally earned a drama-free win in conference play, 81-65 over West Virginia Monday night at Schollmaier Arena.

The victory snapped a two-game skid in Big 12 play and keeps the Horned Frogs off the NCAA Tournament bubble. The best part of the win was there that was no need for a double-digit comeback or a heroic shot at the buzzer.

No, it was just complete dominance by TCU for most of the night as the Horned Frogs led by as many as 22 against West Virginia.

With about 13 minutes remaining West Virginia was still hanging around, trailing 58-48, but this is when the Horned Frogs put together their decisive run.

Four different players scored during the 8-0 run including Jameer Nelson Jr., who hit a pull-up jumper over the out-stretched arms of 7-footer Jesse Edwards. In the blink of an eye a 10-point lead had grown to 18 with 10:35 remaining. TCU spent the final 10 minutes putting on a show with a handful of highlight dunks from Chuck O’Bannon, Micah Peavy and Ernest Udeh to put the game away.

The Horned Frogs will return to action at 11 a.m. Saturday at Kansas State.

Balanced scoring night

A number of Horned Frogs had different moments leading the way against the overmatched Mountaineers. The first was Nelson, who was making his first start since late December. Nelson provided a spark on both ends of the floor, with 12 points in the first half and three blocks. The rejections were all impressive, like when he leaped to swat an easy layup out of the hands of the 6-foot-10 Akok Akok.

Then there was Trevian Tennyson, who started the game slow with a few uncharacteristic misses from the 3-point arc. After starting 1 of 4, Tennyson hit his next two 3-pointers and his second pushed TCU ahead 43-31 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.

Emanuel Miller continued his all-conference caliber campaign with a steady performance. It wasn’t flashy, but Miller worked his way to 14 points, including 10 in the first half. He found different ways to score including mid-range jumpers and bullying his defender into the paint for shots at the rim. JaKobe Coles also had a quality game with 11 points, evidence that the senior forward is back in early season form after a foot injury slowed him in January.

Defensive effort better

TCU coach Jamie Dixon has been harping on the recent defensive lapses from the Horned Frogs and the message seems to be getting through, and they had arguably their best defensive performance in Big 12 play against West Virginia.

The Mountaineers started the game hitting their first three shots, but the offensive efficiency wouldn’t last.

The Horned Frogs forced 11 turnovers in the first half including four from West Virginia point guard Kerr Kriisa. TCU capitalized on the numerous mistakes by scoring 18 points off turnovers including a steal by Coles that led to a 3-pointer that increased TCU’s lead to 40-31 in the first half.

While the turnovers weren’t as frequent in the second half, the half court defense was still excellent. The Mountaineers had a five-minute stretch without a point, missing seven straight field goals. A big part of TCU’s success was the ability to limit the impact of Jesse Edwards, one of the top big men in the Big 12. Late in the second half Edwards had as many points (4) as he did fouls. Edwards averages 15 points per game, but was held to just six against TCU.

A change to the lineup

In search of a better start, TCU went with a change in its starting lineup as Nelson got the start at point guard while Avery Anderson was moved to the second unit. Nelson was joined by the four other usual starters Tennyson, Peavy, Miller and Udeh.

The new lineup got off to a solid enough start despite Udeh exiting the game early after a quick foul against Mountaineers big man Edwards. Nelson was energized by being back in the starting lineup as he scored TCU’s first five points, blocked a shot off the glass and forced a steal that led to a bucket. Despite falling behind 10-5, TCU used a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the game with 12:34 remaining in the half.

The Horned Frogs spent the final 12 minutes trying to create a cushion and got a boost when Edwards picked up his second foul with TCU leading 17-12. The Mountaineers did their best to hang around without their leading scorer and at one point only trailed 27-25, but the Horned Frogs would outscore West Virginia 20-10 from that point.

Tennyson and Coles combined for three 3-pointers and TCU hit its final five field goals to take a 47-35 lead into halftime.