Men's Basketball: TCU Opens Up Diamond Head Classic With Huge Win

It was a record-setting day as the Horned Frogs defeated Old Dominion 111-87

Mele Kalikimaka!

The TCU Horned Frogs (9-1) played in the first round of the annual Diamond Head Classic on Thursday afternoon and soundly beat the Old Dominion Monarchs (3-7) 111-87.

TCU's Chuck O'Bannon Jr had a career-high day with 25 points in the opening game of the Diamond Head Classic. The Horned Frogs defeated Old Dominion 111-87.  / X: @TCUBaskteball

The win advanced the Horned Frogs to a semifinal matchup against Nevada. That game will be played on Friday, December 22, at 4 p.m. CT (12 p.m. HT) and can be seen on ESPN2. 

It was a record-setting day for TCU. The 111 points scored set a scoring record at the Diamond Head Classic. In the 14 years the tournament has been played, it was the first time a team scored 100 or more points. The 111 points were also the most points scored by a TCU team in 23 seasons and tied for the most at a neutral site. In the second half, TCU outscored the Monarchs 64-46. The 64 points were the most scored in any half by any team in the history of the Diamond Head Classic.

TCU never trailed in the game but did face a first-half threat from ODU's Vasean Allette, who sank a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to bring ODU within six. TCU led 47-41 at the half. Allette had 22 first-half points after going 8-of-11 from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the 3-point range. Thankfully for the Frogs, Allette's shooting cooled down in the second half, as he only added three more points to his game total. 

Have a day, Chuck O'Bannon Jr.! O'Bannon has been relatively quiet so far this season, but he showed up in Honolulu with a big-time game. He had a career-high 25 points, including going 6-of-7 from the 3-point line. O'Bannon went 8-of-10 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line. 

O'Bannon's previous career high was two seasons ago in the NCAA Tournament when he scored 23 in the second-round loss to Arizona. His six three-pointers in the game against ODU were the most by a Horned Frog since Desmond Bane and Edric Dennis each made six in a game at Kansas on March 3, 2020.

Three other Horned Frogs scored in double digits. Emanual Miller had 21 points with seven rebounds and three assists. Jameer Nelson Jr. had 16 points with two rebounds and six assists. Essam Mostafa added 10 points with four rebounds and one assist. 

Game Leaders

Points

• TCU - Chuck O'Bannon Jr. - 25 points
• ODU - Vasean Allette - 25 points

Rebounds

• TCU - JaKobe Coles - 10 rebounds (7 defensive; 3 offensive)
• ODU -Vasean Allette - 5 rebounds (4 defensive; 1 offensive)

Assists

• TCU - Jameer Nelson Jr. - 6 assists
• ODU - Vasean Allette - 3 assists

Team Stats

Team Stats	TCU	Old Dominion
Field Goals	36-66 (54.5%)	29-62 (46.8%)
3-Pointers	9-23 (39.1%)	8-24 (33.3%)
Free Throws	30-38 (78.9%)	21-29 (72.4%)
Assists	21	9
Rebounds	44 (16 offensive/28 defensive)	22 (9 offensive/13 defensive)
Steals	12	13
Blocks	2	3
Turnovers	15	16
Largest Lead	29	0

Next up: TCU will face the Nevada Wolfpack on Friday, December 22 in the semifinal of the Diamond Head Classic. The game is at 4 p.m. CT (12 p.m. HT) and can be seen on ESPN2. With a win on Friday, TCU will play in the championship game on Sunday, December 24 at 8 p.m. CT (4 p.m. HT) against the winner of Georgia Tech and Hawai'i. If the Frogs lose on Friday, they will play the Georgia Tech/Hawai'i loser on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT (1:30 p.m. HT) to determine third place in the tournament. 

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