Jayden Pierre scored 13 of his team-leading 18 points in the second half as TCU pulled away from Lamar 78-65 on Monday night in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Horned Frogs (2-1) improved to 10-0 when facing the Cardinals (1-1) at home. But the game was tighter for much of the night than the final score might indicate.
With the game tied 56-56 with 10 minutes left, TCU took control. The Frogs went on an 8-0 run over a two-minute stretch, starting with a fast-break dunk by David Punch at the 9:40 mark and ending with a 3-pointer by Micah Robinson for a 64-56 with 7:40 left.
TCU kept a comfortable lead the rest of the way, building a 74-63 advantage on a fast-break dunk by Pierre with 3:53 left. Pierre, a Providence transfer, knocked down a 3-pointer on the previous possession.
Punch, Jace Posey, and Xavier Edmonds all finished with 12 points for the Frogs. Robinson added 11 as five players reached double figures for TCU. The Frogs shot 50.9% from the field and 42.1% from deep. They won the rebounding battle, 36-28, and had a clear advantage in the paint by outscoring the Cardinals 38-24.
Lamar’s Rob Lee Jr. had a game-high 26 points, and Jayden Barrs added 14 points. The Cardinals had an impressive offensive showing in the first half, knocking down 51.6% of their shots from the field. In the second half, though, Lamar shot 31.0%.
It was a back-and-forth battle early on. TCU jumped out to a 13-2 lead in the first three minutes before Lamar responded. The Frogs led 39-38 at the break.
The Cardinals started the second half strong. Lee made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to put the Cardinals ahead 50-45 with 16:50 left.
Buoyed by Pierre’s 6-of-8 shooting in the final 19 minutes, TCU eventually found its rhythm and pulled away.
