Men's Basketball: TCU Comes Up Short Late vs. Iowa State

The Horned Frogs had a chance with seconds left to win the game but could not convert; Iowa State wins 54-51.

© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

TCU came up just short in the Schollmaier in a grueling defensive battle against the Iowa State Cyclones. There were exactly 12 lead changes throughout the game and five ties. The Frogs were solid defensively in the first half, forcing the Cyclones to go 0-5 from the 3-point line and 31% from the field.

Izaiah Brockington carried the weight offensively for the Cyclones scoring a game-high 20 points. Eleven of Brockington’s 20-point performance was solidified in the first half. Iowa State, known for speeding up opponents, only caused the Frogs to turn over the ball 10 times, the fewest yet in Big 12 conference play. TCU closed the first half leading the Cyclones 24-22 while only shooting 30.8% from the field. 

Eddie Lampkin, who shot almost perfectly from the field, continued to be the driving force for TCU in the second half. Lampkin, who led all scorers for TCU (a career-high 16 points), was active around the rim as well, making four of his nine rebounds on the offensive side. Frogs also received a big-time contribution from Emanuel Miller (14 points, four rebounds) to close the game. To start the second half, Miller converted a couple of tough layups with 14:35 left in regulation. Then, he propelled TCU to a six-point lead with 13:46 left in play. This was the biggest lead of the night for the Frogs. Although, this lead would slowly diminish.

Iowa State caught fire late in the second half going 5-9 from the 3-point range. Caleb Grill hit the first 3-pointer with 13:17 left to surge the Cyclone comeback, making it a 34-37 TCU lead. Jaden Walker contributed another 3-pointer shortly after that for the Cyclones. All tied up, Lampkin answered with a monster dunk. Set for a momentum run, TCU was quickly silenced late in the game by a corner-three hit by Brockington with 3:34 left. This put Iowa State up by one point. The Cyclones never looked back. TCU started converting defense for offense substitutions as they made some desperation fouls. Frogs tried to convert two opportunities to score with 2:01 left but could not capitalize. TCU lost 51, Iowa State 54.

“We have to do a better job of protecting our home court and we have not done that this year,” said head coach Jamie Dixon after the game. “This was a must-win game for us. Now we have to figure out a way to win on the road.”

Final from Schollmaier Arena.

Back in action Saturday at 11 a.m. at No. 7 Baylor.#GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/D2o8qjVMqH

— TCU Men's Basketball (@TCUBasketball) February 16, 2022

Next up: The Frogs are back in action Saturday at 11 am in Waco to take on the Baylor Bears. 

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