TCU Tops No. 2 Baylor, 75-72

Saturday, February 29

Fort Worth, Texas

1 p.m.

TCU

16-13,7-9Big 12

Baylor

25-3,14-2Big 12

Baylor

TCU

TCU Tops No. 2 Baylor, 75-72

2/29/2020 5:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Frogs record highest ranked home win in school history

FORT WORTH – A 54-point second half propelled the TCU men's basketball team to a 75-72 win over No. 2 Baylor Saturday at Schollmaier Arena.

It was the Frogs' highest ranked home win in school history and its third win over a ranked team this season.

TCU (16-13, 7-9) struggled to score in the first half, shooting just 26.9 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes. Baylor (25-3, 14-2) led by as many as 11 in the first half, but back-to-back baskets from Jaire Grayer cut the deficit to 28-21 at the break.

Baylor took its largest lead of the game, 39-27, after a Devonte Bandoo three with 16:25 remaining. The Horned Frogs began to chip away at the lead, cutting the deficit to four points, 41-37, with 12:55 remaining following a basket and free throw from PJ Fuller.

TCU trailed 54-50 with 6:57 to play before going on an 18-1 run to take a 68-55 lead with 1:15 to play. It was the Bears' largest deficit of the season. The Frogs shot 76.2 percent from the field in the second half to hold on to the three-point win.

Playing without guards RJ Nembhard (groin) and Francisco Farabello (head) for the second consecutive game, senior Desmond Bane scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. He finished 5-of-8 from 3-point range and added five rebounds and four assists.

Freshman PJ Fuller had a career-best 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.

Up Next
TCU plays at No. 1 Kansas (25-3, 14-1) Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Team Notes
- The win over No. 2 Baylor was TCU's highest ranked home win in program history.
- The win also marked TCU's third win over a ranked opponent this season, the most ranked wins in a season in program history. TCU defeated No. 17 West Virginia and No. 18 Texas Tech.
- TCU played its first game on Leap Day since 1992 and moved to 3-3 all time on Feb. 29.
- TCU moved to 85-102 all-time against Baylor, including 42-42 in games played in Fort Worth.
- TCU improved to 14-4 at home this season. TCU has won 17 of its last 24 Big 12 home games and improved to 6-2 this season.
- TCU scored 54 points in the second half on 76.2 percent shooting. It was the highest scoring output in a half by the Frogs since they scored 56 in the second half in a win at Iowa State on Feb. 9, 2019.
- The Horned Frogs' 13-point lead in the second half was the largest deficit faced by Baylor this season.
- TCU's 75 points were the most given up by Baylor in conference play this season.
- Desmond Bane scored 23 points and freshman PJ Fuller scored a career-high 21 points. It was the first time since Nov. 11, 2018 against Oral Roberts that TCU had multiple 20-point scorers in a game.
- The Frogs attempted 32 free throws, including 14 attempts coming in the final 2:23 of the game. It was the most free throws that TCU has attempted in a game since Jan. 4, 2016 against West Virginia, preceding the Jamie Dixon era.
- TCU won despite being outrebounded 36-35. The Frogs moved to 3-6 this season when outrebounded by their opponent.
- TCU also won despite losing the turnover margin 14-10. The Frogs improved to 5-9 this season when losing the turnover battle.
- The Frogs started with the lineup of Desmond Bane, PJ Fuller, Jaire Grayer, Kevin Samuel and Edric Dennis for the second consecutive game and third time this season (2-1).

Individual Notes
- Coach Jamie Dixon earned his 412th career win and now owns the fifth-most wins of any head coach through 17 seasons in NCAA Division I history.
- Desmond Bane led TCU with 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting. It was his 10th 20-point output this season. TCU improved to 18-3 in Bane's career when he scores 20 or more in a game.
- Bane shot 5-of-8 from 3-point range, including 5-of-5 in the second half, and has now made a three in 19 consecutive games.
- Bane moved past Ryan Carroll (1998-01) into second place on the TCU all-time threes made leaderboard with 235 career 3-pointers.
- Bane played 37 minutes and moved past Kyan Anderson (2011-15) into second place on the TCU all-time minutes-played leaderboard with 4,160 minutes played as a Horned Frog.
- PJ Fuller scored a career-high 21 points, 17 of which coming in the second half, on 7-of-12 shooting. Seventeen points was his previous career-best which came against Lamar on Dec. 14, 2019.
- Jaire Grayer scored 13 points and tied his season high with a team-leading nine rebounds. It was the first time this season Grayer led the Frogs in rebounds.
- Kevin Samuel blocked two shots, giving him multiple blocks in seven straight and 12 of his last 13 games.
- Edric Dennis chipped in five points, a team-high five rebounds and team-high two steals. TCU improved to 3-0 this season when Dennis records five or more assists.
- Jaedon Ledee was 4-of-4 from the free throw line and hauled in six rebounds, the fifth game of his career with six or more rebounds.
- Owen Aschieris recorded his first career assist in the first half.