Killer Frogs

TCU Men’s Basketball: Baylor Bears outlast Frogs 72-68

Struggles continue for TCU after third-straight loss

Ian Napetian

TCU Men’s Basketball: Baylor Bears outlast Frogs 72-68
TCU Men’s Basketball: Baylor Bears outlast Frogs 72-68 /
In this story:

No. 17 TCU was once again left without star guard Mike Miles Jr. when the team faced its rivals from Waco. Coming off a 21-point loss against No. 12 Kansas State in the midweek, Saturday’s matchup against No. 14 Baylor was crucial, but ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Frogs.

Despite Miles Jr. remaining out with a knee injury and Eddie Lampkin Jr. missing due to an ankle injury, the Frogs held their own against Scott Drew and the Bears. In a neck-and-neck first half, the Frogs worked back from a deficit and led 34-31 heading into halftime.

Damion Baugh led the way for TCU with a double-double, putting up 16 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Alongside Baugh was JaKobe Coles who continues to step up for the Frogs whose lineup is spread thin. In his fifth straight-game in double figures, Coles posted 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists.

The Frogs led by as many as 10 points with nine minutes left in the second half, but momentum shifted as the Bears responded with a 15-2 run of their own.

Following the game, Jamie Dixon said, “We tried to guard a certain way–it worked pretty well early, it worked well at the start of the second half, but it didn’t get done in the last nine minutes.”

Adam Flagler, a senior guard for Baylor, led the team with 28 points. His presence on the court was felt as he dominated throughout the game. Shooting 9 for 16 from the field and 50% from 3-point range, Flagler was Baylor’s brightest spot in their victory over the Frogs. While Flagler caused problems for TCU, so did his teammate LJ Cryer. The junior guard from Katy, TX had a career night, shooting 72.7% from the field for 23 points.

With Flagler and Cryer putting out phenomenal performances, Baylor had a recipe for success against the Frogs who have now dropped four of their last five games.

The game came down to the wire, and TCU was unfortunate to have a crucial call go against them in the final minute of regulation. With TCU’s last possession of the game, Baugh was given the ball and had a difficult look at the basket, coming up short of the would-be game-tying shot.

Dixon said, “It wasn’t as good of a shot as you would like to get. I thought we could have handled it a little better, but we’ve got to make better decisions. The play didn’t go exactly the way I wanted it to run and it put us in that situation.”

While the Bears improve to 19-6 (8-4 in Big 12), the Frogs drop to 17-8 (6-6 in the Big 12). Up next, the Frogs will hit the road to face No. 11 Iowa State on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!

Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store. 

Published
Ian Napetian
IAN NAPETIAN

Ian Napetian is currently pursuing a double-major in Journalism and Sports Broadcasting at TCU. He is the creator and host the sports-talk radio show Riff Ram Review on 88.7 KTCU The Choice. He also hosts pregame and postgame shows for TCU Baseball and Women's Basketball on 88.7 The Choice. Additionally, he enjoys attending TCU sporting events with his friends.

Home/Basketball