TCU
3-8
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
7-4
Hackett-led TCU comeback falls short
12/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2005
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Brent Hackett scored a career-high 18 points, including 15 in the second half, to lead a TCU comeback that fell short in a 55-49 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Thursday afternoon at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas.Hackett scored 10 straight TCU points in one stretch and had 12 points in the final 7:28. It was the third time this season Hackett, a sophomore from Fort Worth, had a career-high scoring effort.
The Horned Frogs, who were playing their third game in five days, return to action Wednesday with a 7 p.m. home game versus Grambling State.
Trailing 31-13 at the intermission, TCU began the second half with a 16-4 spurt over the opening 5:45. Nile Murry had eight points to key the run. His 3-pointer with 15:15 remaining trimmed the Frog deficit to 35-29.
After the Islanders built their lead back to double figures, Hackett scored eight consecutive points to pull TCU within 47-43 with 5:30 remaining. Hackett hit back-to-back 3-pointers before his jumper capped the spurt and forced an A&M-Corpus Christi timeout.
Chudi Chinweze, in his second game in over a year since returning to action from a knee injury, had a team-best 10 rebounds and a ferocious blocked shot during the second-half comeback.
Consecutive jumpers by Josh Ervin built the Islanders' lead back to 51-43 with 3:36 remaining.
TCU (3-8) had the ball trailing 53-49 with 23 seconds to play, but Chinweze's shot underneath was blocked by Chris Daniels.
Following a Frog foul, Daniels made a pair of free-throws with 14 seconds left to provide the final margin. Daniels topped the Islanders with 19 points, including his team's first seven of the contest.
Murry finished with 13 points as he reached double figures in scoring for the 13th consecutive game dating back to last season.
TCU shot 44.8 percent (13-of-29) over the final 20 minutes to help fuel its second-half comeback.
