WVU escapes TCU on the road 61-60
No. 12/13 West Virginia (23-6, 11-5) escaped Fort Worth with a 61-60 win over TCU, ending the Horned Frogs’ NCAA tournament hopes.
In a game that saw seven ties and 12 lead changes, West Virginia used a 24-17 advantage on the boards in the second half and 19 points off of 21 TCU turnovers to win its third straight game.
Junior guard Jevon Carter led the Mountaineers with 15 points and senior Nathan Adrian scored 13. Senior guard Teyvon Myers provided a spark for West Virginia off the bench and finished the game with eight points.
The Mountaineers were without sophomore forward Esa Ahmad for the second straight game, who was out with back spasms and did not travel with the team. West Virginia went with a three guard lineup again as junior guard Daxter Miles Jr. made his second straight start in the place of Ahmad.
West Virginia opened the game with a 4-0 lead with baskets by Miles and junior Elijah Macon. TCU would then tie things up at four at the with a three-pointer by Jaylen Fisher and a free throw by Chris Washburn.
Carter would then answer with a three-pointer of his own to give the Mountaineers a 7-4 lead at the 16:27 mark.
An aggressive press and defense by West Virginia held the Horned Frogs scoreless for over six minutes and forced 12 TCU first half turnovers. During TCU’s scoring drought, the Mountaineers went on a 7-0 run and led 16-7 the Horned Frogs with 9:11 remaining in the first half.
Despite an 11-3 run by TCU near the end of the half in which the Horned Frogs came within one point of the Mountaineers, West Virginia managed to keep its distance from TCU, leading 27-22 with 3:34 left in the half.
TCU would then end the half on an 8-0 run that was a capped off with a three-pointer by Desmond Bane to give the Horned Frogs a 30-27 lead at halftime and their first lead of the game.
At halftime, TCU held a 21-12 advantage on the boards while West Virginia had the edge at the free throw line.
The two teams would trade baskets to start out the second half. West Virginia managed to tie the game up twice but the Horned Frogs answered back each time to keep their lead.
A steal by senior Tarik Phillip led to a Lamont West dunk to give the Mountaineers its first lead of the second half.
Both teams would again trade baskets and the lead for much of the second half but it was Carter’s three-pointer with that proved to be the turning point as West Virginia took a 56-54 lead with 4:37 left.
A free throw by TCU's Alex Robinson tied things up at 60 with nine seconds left.
Miles was then fouled on the ensuing possession and made one of two free throws to give West Virginia a 61-60 lead with four seconds remaining.
A missed shot by TCU at the buzzer then sealed the victory for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia will travel to Waco for a Big 12 showdown with No. 9 Baylor on Monday night at 7 p.m.