Tech comeback falls short, drops to TCU, 85-78
Jameer Nelson’s three-pointer just under two minutes to play ended a near-seven minute scoring drought for TCU as Texas Tech fell short to the Horned Frogs, 85-78, Tuesday night at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth.
After trailing by as many as 12 midway through the second half and by nine with two minutes remaining, the Red Raiders brought the margin down to three but were unable to draw any closer in the final minute. The loss is only Tech’s second in BIg 12 play, with the Red Raiders splitting their most recent two-game road trip 1-1.
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Trevian Tennyson led the way for the Frogs with 23 points on 7-13 shooting from the field and 4-8 from beyond the arc. Tennyson’s effort fell one point short of his season high of 24 that he set in TCU’s conference opener against Kansas.
Pop Isaacs nailed a three-pointer with just over four minutes remaining to bring the margin to five, but that shot was Tech’s last field goal for another two and a half minutes as the momentum grounded out cold.
Both sides came out of the gates hot with neither being able to take full advantage of the other in the early going. An 8-0 Tech run was capped off by a three-ball from Isaacs to give the Red Raiders their largest lead of the game, 27-16. The Horned Frogs, known for their pace and intensity in the fast break, responded however, mounting their own 11-0 run. Chance McMillian’s trey gave some semblance of hope that Tech had finally halted the TCU onslaught, but another 10-0 streak from the Frogs seated them in the driver’s seat heading into halftime. The Red Raiders struggled with foul trouble through most of the first half– Darrion Williams, Kerwin Walton and Warren Washington each picked up two fouls which forced them to play more limited roles defensively. That trio eventually picked up four fouls each at varying points of the second half, which did not help Tech’s pursuit of a third-consecutive comeback victory.
Former Red Raider Micah Peavy made his presence known throughout the contest, both as one of TCU’s main scoring threats and his side’s premier on-ball defender. Peavy, who had been a 25 percent three-pointer shooter going into the contest, finished 4-4 from beyond the arc, going on to score 18 overall.
Isaacs led the way for the Red Raiders with 25 points on 8-18 shooting from the field and 5-11 from the three-point line. McMillian, coming off a career day in Norman, offered 19 points. Washington rounded out Tech’s double-digit scorers with 14 points. The Red Raiders turned the ball over 13 times, eight coming from Joe Toussaint, alone.
Tech returns home and will look to rebound from the loss Saturday against Cincinnati. Tip off from the United Supermarkets Arena is set for 5:00 p.m.