TCU
7-0
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Mississippi State
5-1
TCU Claims Corpus Christi Title Saturday
11/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
On a night where the lead changed eight times, the Horned Frogs took control late in the first half, closing the period on a 13-2 run and never relinquished it the rest of the contest. During the run, TCU got nasty on the defensive end of the court as the Frogs didn't allow the Bulldogs to score a field goal for the final 3:29 of the half.
For the game, the Frogs, who moved to 7-0 on the season, shot a blistering 48.9 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent in the opening frame of play. With the win, the Purple and White captured their first regular-season tournament title since claiming the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico in 1991. As of tonight's game, TCU is also one of just four teams in the entire nation to be 7-0 on the season.
Despite returning all-conference honoree Kyan Anderson having to sit the majority of the game with foul trouble, TCU received several solid contributions as three different Frogs scored in double-figures. Sophomore Chris Washburn led the way, scoring 12 points on 4-of-6 from the field. 10 of his 12 points came in the second half with the game still in doubt. The Grand Prairie native also grabbed eight rebounds.
Senior Amric Fields, in only his third game back, followed, netting a season-high 11 points of 5-for-8 from the field. Finally, sophomore Kenrich Williams recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 11 boards.
Following the contest, Williams was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, while Washburn and senior Trey Zeigler picked up all-tournament team accolades.
Mississippi State, now 5-1 on the year, was carried by Fred Thomas, who scored a game-high 14 points on 5-for-10 from the field. Gavin Ware and Trivante Bloodman chipped in with 10 points apiece, respectively.
Two-straight backdoor layups by Zeigler to start the half allowed the Frogs to jump on top, 34-21, before MSU cut into the deficit. Washburn would have nothing of it though, powering home a tough three-point play four minutes into the second stanza of action to regain the Frogs' composure.
With the scoreboard at 37-30 in slight favor of the Purple and White, Fields caught fire, scoring six-straight points, including a beautiful floater inside the paint, which gave the Frogs a 12-point lead with a little over 12 minutes remaining in the period.
TCU led 43-33 midway through when Washburn spun around his defender and found the bottom of the net. MSU would not back down though, cutting it to nine before Williams exploded to the hole for a tough layup with 6:28 remaining in the game to make it 49-38.
Mississippi State would make it a five point game with 3:36 left to go off a banked triple over the outstretched arms of Karviar Shepherd, but Anderson's tear drop from the right side of the court made it a 53-45 game with a little over two minutes remaining.
TCU was able to close out the game the rest of the way to move to 7-0 on the season for the first time since 1997-98.
Brandon Parrish got the Frogs going right out of the gates as Washburn found the cutting sophomore underneath for the easy bucket on the opening possession. A few plays later, patience helped the Frogs take a 5-2 advantage as Washburn calmly nailed a jumper at the 16:43 mark of the period.
MSU would storm back to take a 10-9 lead off an 8-4 run, but Williams stepped to the charity stripe and hit one-of-two to tie the ballgame at 10-10. At the 6:29 mark, Hudson Price knifed through the lane to give the Frogs a 12-11 advantage. The sophomore then buried a triple down the stretch, which advanced TCU's lead to 17-15 with 3:50 showing on the clock in the period.
Freshman Chauncey Collins then got into the act, driving coast-to-coast for the bucket plus the foul, which gave TCU a 23-19 lead with 2:49 left to go in the half. All-out-hustle allowed the Frogs to go up by six with a little over a minute to go in the first half as Williams followed up a miss by Zeigler and powered home a contested layup inside the paint.
A late backdoor layup off the some beautiful ball movement allowed TCU to take a 30-21 lead into the break. The Frogs closed the half on a 13-2 run after the Bulldogs led by two at the 3:30 mark. TCU's defense harassed MSU during the stretch as they did not allow Mississippi State to make a single field goal from the field the rest of the period.
TCU will next be in action Thursday at Ole Miss, beginning at 8:00 p.m. CT.
