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TCU men’s basketball overcame icy conditions and the absence of its best player to defeat rival Baylor 97-90 Saturday in Waco.
It was the first time since 2018 that the Horned Frogs (13-7, 3-4) swept the season series with the Bears (11-8, 1-6). TCU also defeated Baylor 69-63 on Jan. 3 in its Big 12 opener.
The Horned Frogs were without sophomore forward David Punch, and it was a tightly contested game in the first 25 minutes as TCU held onto a 51-49 lead with 14 minutes, 57 seconds remaining in the game.
That’s when TCU began to assert itself behind Jayden Pierre. The Horned Frogs went on a 17-4 run in taking a 68-53 lead as Pierre had one stretch where he scored eight straight points.
Taking the big lead allowed the Horned Frogs to show what they’ve learned since blowing a 15-point lead against Kansas on Jan. 6. After the Bears cut it to 68-58, the Horned Frogs didn’t panic like they did in Lawrence.
Instead, TCU responded with a 7-0 run to increase the lead to 75-58 with 5:52 remaining as Xavier Edmonds bullied Baylor inside during the run and Liautarus Lelevicius knocked down an important jumper.
The Bears made the Horned Frogs sweat in the final minute. Baylor’s Will Kuykendall knocked down a 3-pointer and then TCU turned it over on the inbounds pass. Baylor capitalized off the turnover with a dunk by Caden Powell that cut TCU’s lead to 94-90 with 16 seconds remaining.
With the pressure mounting, Edmonds stepped up and made two clutch free throws with 14 seconds remaining to help TCU avoid another last minute collapse. The Horned Frogs made nine of their final 10 free throws in the final 55 seconds.
TCU entered Saturday’s game firmly on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, but even though the Bears aren’t as elite as the have been in past years, the win in Waco was still a valuable Quadrant 1 win for the Horned Frogs’ tournament resume.
The Horned Frogs are set to face No. 6 Houston at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Fort Worth.
Playing without Punch
The Horned Frogs had to overcome the hostile road environment and the absence of their best player. David Punch, the sophomore forward who leads TCU in scoring, rebounding and blocks, missed Saturday’s game due to an illness. Sophomore forward Micah Robinson replaced Punch for his first start of the season. Robinson scored six points and fouled out after playing 35 minutes.
Punch’s absence also allowed for reserve center Vianney Salatchoum to also get on the first time in over a month. Salatchoum hadn’t gotten on the court since TCU’s win vs. North Texas on Dec. 7 and missed multiple games earlier this month taking time away from the team.
Salatchoum gave TCU some valuable minutes in the first half on Saturday. He scored four points, including a dunk off a nice pass from Robinson. Edmonds carried most of the load with his second straight double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Edmonds continues to be one of the most pleasant surprises for TCU this season as he’s improved dramatically during Big 12 play.
Edmonds is averaging 17 points and 8.5 rebounds in TCU’s last four games.
Pierre leads the way
Without Punch’s scoring, TCU needed someone else to step up and carry the offense, and it was senior guard Jayden Pierre that led the Horned Frogs on offense. Pierre had gone three straight games without scoring 10 points, but broke out for a season-high 25 points against the Bears. It was the most points he scored since TCU played Notre Dame on Dec. 5.
Pierre scored 11 in the first half to help TCU tie it at 38-38. He continued to be productive in the second half as TCU began to take control of the game. Pierre capped a 15-2 run with a 3-pointer that gave TCU a 57-49 lead with 12:36 remaining.
Pierre accounted for half of TCU’s made 3-pointers with three, and he also made a pivotal play late when he knocked down two free throws that made it 85-76 with 1:34 remaining.
Baylor’s challenging backcourt
Led by two potential first-round picks in the NBA Draft, Baylor’s talented group of guards pushed TCU until the end. Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou are the two household names that have NBA teams salivating over their talent, but the Bears also got a boost from Obi Agbim.
But as the Horned Frogs began to take over, Yessoufou was the one that kept Baylor in the game. The 6-foot-5 freshman scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, including seven straight points in the final 3 minutes. Yessoufou converted a three-point play that cut TCU’s lead to 81-72 with 1:54 remaining.
After Yessoufou fouled out, Carr came alive. Carr scored six straight points to give Baylor a chance to pull off the comeback late. Carr finished with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists as both of the Bears’ dynamic guards put pressure on the Horned Frogs’ defense.
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Steven Johnson
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