TCU
7-3
Texas Tech
5-5
TCU Holds On Against Red Raiders in Lubbock
12/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2010
LUBBOCK, Texas—Junior guard Sammy Yeager scored a career-high 22 points, and TCU hit the offensive glass with some serious purpose Wednesday evening during an 81-77 victory over Texas Tech at United Spirit Arena.
TCU improved to 7-3 while ending a seven-game losing streak in games away from Fort Worth. The win also marked the squad's second straight in Lubbock. Texas Tech dropped to 5-5.
The Frogs trailed by four points at halftime, 36-32, before erupting for 49 points in the second period. TCU dominated the boards during the game, outpacing the Red Raiders by a 48-34 margin in rebounds. Included in the total were 23 offensive boards, including 13 in the second half. The figure marked the squad's most offensive rebounds in a game since the 2009-10 season opener.
Yeager had a standout game, making 9-of-15 attempts from the floor, including 3-of-4 attempts from 3-point range. He also matched a career best with nine rebounds in addition to totaling three blocked shots, which also marked a personal best and TCU individual season high.
Four other Frogs also scored in double figures, including junior guard Ronnie Moss, who notched 16 on 6-of-16 shooting. Junior forward J.R. Cadot recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Five of Cadot's boards came on the offensive end, while he also went 5-of-6 at the free-throw line.
Junior forward Garlon Green scored 12 points, including 10 in the second half. Sophomore forward Nikola Cerina put together his best game of the season so far, totaling 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go with six rebounds.
The Frogs trailed by eight points early in the second half before rallying with 22 of the game's next 26 points. TCU locked down on defense, holding Tech to only one field goal during a stretch of more than eight minutes.
Several players chipped in offensively during the run, including six points by Cadot and five each from Moss and Yeager. Yeager's points came at the tail end of the run on a trey as the shot clock wound down and a layup that put the Frogs up 57-47 with 10:26 remaining.
The Frogs extended their lead to 13 points with 9:09 remaining on a jumper by Green, but the Red Raiders did not fold. The squad slowly chipped away at the lead, with the help of a strong performance at the free-throw line. Tech went 23-of-24 overall at the stripe on the evening, which broke a 51-year TCU opponent record set by Arkansas (15-of-16; 93.9 percent) on Feb. 14, 1959.
The game's final minute ended in a flurry after Tech was able to cut the lead to only one point, 78-77, with 21 seconds remaining. But a couple missed Tech shots, along with two late clutch free throws by Ronnie Moss, held the Red Raiders at bay.
Forward Mike Singletary led Tech with 19 points, while guard Brad Reese added 16. Guard John Roberson made up for a 1-for-11 showing from the field by going 8-for-8 at the charity stripe.
TCU found itself down for most of the first half after Tech went on an early 11-2 run ending at the 13:15 mark. The Red Raiders built much of their success in the opening period at the stripe, where they went a perfect 9-for-9.
The Frogs trailed by as many as eight points on two occasions in the half, but 3-pointers by Yeager and junior guard Hank Thorns kept the squad in reach. Thorns' trey, which came with 50 seconds left in the period as the shot clock was winding down, brought TCU to within two points, 34-32. Tech center Robert Lewandowski answered with a layup to extend the Red Raider lead to 36-32 at intermission.
TCU continues its two-game road stretch Saturday, when it travels to Lincoln, Neb., to face another Big 12 opponent in Nebraska. Tip-off between the Frogs and Huskers is set for 1 p.m. at NU's Bob Devaney Sports Center. The game will be televised by FSN Midwest.
