Field Level Media
Jan 23, 2018
After a string of close losses, TCU gave itself ample breathing room by routing No. 7 West Virginia 82-73 in Fort Worth.
Alex Robinson had 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for TCU (15-5, 3-5 Big 12), which had dropped all 11 previous meetings against the Mountaineers.
Desmond Bane added 15 points, and Vlad Brodziansky finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, fueling a defense that held West Virginia (16-4, 5-3) without a basket for a game-changing stretch of nearly 10 minutes spanning both halves.
Mountaineers guard Jevon Carter scored 16 points -- 10 of them in the final 5:04 as the visitors angled to climb out of a 20-point deficit. A comeback proved impossible on a night they suffered through 33.3 percent shooting.
Carter made only 6 of 18 shots, Daxter Miles Jr. finished 4-of-14, and Esa Ahmad missed all five attempts in a scoreless effort by the forward who had averaged 13.7 points in his previous three-game return from suspension.
TCU led the rebounding 46-40, with Kenrich Williams grabbing 14.
The Mountaineers, aiming to stay within a game of Big 12 leader Kansas, led 31-24 with 4:14 left in the first half when their shooting turned frigid and their offensive execution faltered. They missed 14 consecutive shots before Miles made a tip-in with 14:34 left in the game.
By that point, TCU had claimed a 47-34 lead thanks to a 23-3 run.
The lead eventually stretched to 66-46, with the Frogs undaunted by the ejection of forward Kouat Noi.
The sixth man had 13 points when he was tossed for a flagrant 2 foul. He shoved down Lamont West after the WVU player grabbed Noi from behind on a fast beak.
Even the ejection became a positive for TCU when reserve Shawn Olden stepped in a sank three 3-pointers.
Mountaineers center Sagaba Konate had 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
Konate temporarily encountered foul trouble in the first half until replay intervened. His second foul was overturned when officials realized he merely pivoted into a low-post collision with Brodziansky.
The Frogs reeled off 11 unanswered points before a pair of Mountaineers free throws cut the lead to 35-33 at the half. TCU nearly led by three more but officials waived off Robinson's 40-foot swish for being a split-second too late at the buzzer.
--Field Level Media