Field Level Media
Feb 9, 2021
RJ Nembhard produced 20 points and seven assists, and TCU used a late 7-0 run to keep Iowa State winless in the Big 12 with a 79-76 decision Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Taryn Todd and PJ Fuller each scored 11 and Kevin Samuel had 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Horned Frogs (11-7, 4-5 Big 12) overcame a nine-point, first-half deficit to win their second straight after losing five in a row.
TCU shot 33.3 percent in the second half but went 18-for-24 from the free-throw line over the final 20 minutes. For the game, the Horned Frogs had a 20-5 edge on second-chance points thanks to a 21-11 advantage in offensive rebounds.
Rasir Bolton had a season-high 26 points for Iowa State (2-12, 0-9), which has dropped 12 consecutive league games and 20 straight on the road overall. The Cyclones led 66-64 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the game, but TCU's Jaedon LeDee tied the contest with a pair of free throws and Todd hit a jumper to give the hosts the lead with 2:46 to go.
Nembhard followed 25 seconds later with a three-point play to put TCU up 71-66, and the hosts held on down the stretch.
Iowa State trailed 44-43 with 17 minutes left in regulation before Solomon Young and Jaden Walker made back-to-back buckets to give the visitors a lead that would reach eight with 12 minutes left in the game. However, TCU used a 12-4 spurt to tie the game at 64-64 on Nembhard's dunk with 5:16 remaining in the game.
Iowa State led 38-29 with under two minutes to play in the first half, but a pair of 3-pointers from little-used Terren Frank and another from Todd produced a 9-0 TCU run to leave the game tied at 38-38 going into the break.
TCU played without star freshman Mike Miles (14.8 points per game), the team's second-leading scorer who has averaged 21.3 points in his last three games, due to an illness that ESPN reported is not COVID-19-related.
--Field Level Media