Cougars come up short against TCU in Fort Worth

BYU unable to overcome 16 turnovers in 71-67 setback to TCU.

Author Tyson Jex
Cougars come up short against TCU in Fort WorthCougars come up short against TCU in Fort Worth
Box Score

FORT WORTH, Texas – In a back-and-forth battle in Fort Worth, BYU fell 71-67 to TCU on Saturday afternoon at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.

Richie Saunders scored a game-high 26 points in a contest that had 17 lead changes and 12 ties. The junior went 9-of-13 from the field, 5-of-7 from three and 3-of-4 from the free throw line in the setback. Dallin Hall came off the bench to finish with six points and a team-high six assists.

In their third-straight loss, the Cougars shot 47.8 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three and 73.7 percent from the free throw line. The Cougars owned the boards, 35-24, but saw 16 turnovers turn into 13 more shots for the Horned Frogs.

FIRST HALF
The Cougars opened the scoring from the free throw line for the second consecutive game as Egor Demin went 2-of-3 from the charity stripe after getting fouled late in the shot clock. Keba Keita sent a rejection off the backboard which resulted in shot clock violation for the Horned Frogs.

Saunders got on the scoresheet for the 54th consecutive game with an up-and-under layup followed by a left-handed floater by Demin to tie the score at 6-all at the first media timeout.

Fousseyni Traore found a wide-open Dawson Baker with a cross-court pass for the Cougars first 3-pointer of the game. The junior continued to run the show with an assist to Mawot Mag on a back cut followed by a layup of his own to make it 15-14. TCU would connect on its third 3-pointer in the opening seven minutes to lead 17-15 with 12:29 remaining in the first half.

The Cougars scored five straight points to take a 3-point lead, 20-17, on Dallin Hall’s first 3-pointer of the game. The Horned Frogs responded with six straight points of their own, all coming from beyond the arc. Trevin Knell got on the board with his first three of the game and 195th of his career to tie the game at 23.

TCU would go on a 10-0 run to take a 33-23 lead and force a BYU timeout. The Cougars responded with a 14-0 run of their own to retake the lead and hold the Horned Frogs without a basket for the final five minutes of the first half.

Saunders ended the Horned Frogs run with a contested layup, followed by a dunk from Fousseyni Traore on the next possession to move him up to 36th on the all-time scoring list with 1,171 points. Hall found Saunders in front of the Horned Frogs bench for his first 3-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to three, 33-30, with 3:02 left before halftime. Saunders connected on another 3-pointer to tie the game at 33-all at the 1:59 mark.

A Mawot Mag block on Vasean Allette’s layup kept the momentum going for the Cougars as Demin went to the left hand for a layup to help BYU retake the lead, 35-33. A pair of free throws from Traore would push the run to 14-0 before TCU converted a free throw in the final seconds to give BYU a 37-34 lead at halftime.

SECOND HALF
Saunders opened the second half much like he ended the first with another 3-pointer on the Cougars' first possession. A Keita dunk on a nice feed from Knell pushed the lead to a game-high six, 42-36.

The Cougars missed six straight shots from the field allowing TCU to retake the lead 47-46 before Kanon Catchings got a floater to drop with 12:57 remaining in regulation.

BYU continued to struggle getting shots to fall but another Mag block kept them in striking distance before Hall hit a 3-pointer with a defender in his face to cut the deficit to two, 54-52. TCU responded with a 3-pointer followed by a dunk from Keita to make it 57-54 in favor of TCU heading into the under eight-minute timeout.

The Cougars scored six of seven points to retake the lead 60-58 with 5:55 remaining in regulation. Saunders made his fourth 3-pointer of the game, giving him 20 points for the third time this season, followed up with a 1-of-2 trip to the free throw line. Knell knocked down both of his free throws on the next trip down to make it 60-58.

The back-and-forth battle continued as TCU scored five straight points, followed by five straight from BYU. Demin ended the Horned Frogs’ run with a layup followed by a Saunders three in the corner to make it 65-63. The Cougars would go the final 3:10 without a basket as TCU ended its 17-game losing streak to the Cougars with the 71-67 win.

Up Next
The Cougars return to the friendly confines of the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Jan. 14, to host Oklahoma State. Watch the action on ESPN+ or listen to the call live on BYU Radio.