FORT WORTH, Texas − Playing in its final Big East-Big 12 Battle, Xavier ensured that Fort Worth will not cross its mind anytime soon as the Musketeers fell to TCU, 76-72, at Schollmaier Arena Thursday night.
Xavier’s early-season problems were still there in the Lone Star State as the Musketeers’ offense was stagnant, and their defense couldn’t consistently get stops. The Musketeers made their run in the second half, but TCU pulled away with takeaways and free throws in the final minute.
Xavier (7-2) has dropped two of its last three games following a 6-0 start and the one victory in that stretch was a narrow escape against South Carolina State. The Musketeers have several issues that need ironed out with multiple marquee matchups on the horizon.
Observations from Xavier Musketeers’ loss to TCU Horned Frogs
Xavier rallies in 2nd half but falls late
Xavier came out of the locker room and improved in several areas. The Musketeers biggest stretch came after the 12-minute media timeout with a 13-2 stretch to take a 60-54 lead, its biggest of the night.
In a second half that featured eight lead changes, TCU was at its best when it mattered most. With the score tied 69-69 with just over a minute remaining, the Horned Frogs registered back-to-back steals, leading to Vasean Allette’s go-ahead lay-in and free throws.
Xavier suffered from poor ball security over its last two games (35 turnovers) and that was the biggest issue in crunch time as TCU ended the game on a 9-3 run. Xavier coughed it up 15 times Thursday.
Dante Maddox gives Xavier big minutes off the bench
Dante Maddox played less than a minute of Sunday’s win over South Carolina State.
With Xavier desperately needing production off it bench, Maddox provided the biggest spark for the Musketeers in Texas. It started in the first half, when the Toledo transfer knocked down his first 3-pointer since Nov. 16.
In the second half, Marcus Foster chased down a long offensive rebound and found Maddox in the corner for another triple. On TCU’s ensuing possession, Maddox registered a steal and found McKnight on the fastbreak to give punctuate a 13-2 run that gave Xavier a 60-54 lead with 7:26 left.
Maddox finished with 9 points on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown and fouled out late in the game.
TCU shoots through scouting report early
Through its 4-3 start, TCU shot just 40.7% from the floor and 28.7% from 3-point range, both last in the 16-team Big 12 Conference. The Horned Frogs threw those percentages out the window early in Thursday’s affair.
TCU came out in a blaze, sinking four of its first half-dozen attempts from beyond the arc. Senior guard Brendan Wenzel and freshman forward Micah Robinson each went 2-of-3 from downtown in the first half as Xavier’s defense offered little resistance on the perimeter and too often allowed clean looks.
Poor rebounding plagues Musketeers
While the first half started with TCU’s hot shooting, that eventually leveled off with the Horned Frogs hitting just 41.2% at the intermission. The clear them over the opening 20 minutes turned out to be Xavier’s inability to get stops once TCU began to misfire.
The Horned Frogs turned nine offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points in the first half. Junior Ernest Udeh, a 6-foot-11 center, slammed in an alley-oop after a TCU offensive rebound to help the Horned Frogs take a 37-29 lead into the locker room.
Xavier has final tune-up before big week
Xavier will return to Cintas Center on Tuesday to host Morgan State. Then the Musketeers will be tested with three games against ranked opponents in a seven-day span.
That week begins with the most anticipated game of the regular season as Xavier will visit No. 14 UC for the 92nd Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. Xavier then begins Big East play at No. 25 UConn Dec. 18 and hosts No. 5 Marquette Dec. 21 before the Christmas break.
Xavier can ill-afford to overlook the Morgan State Bears, though. Last season in the game before the Crosstown Shootout, Xavier suffered an 87-80 loss to Delaware. In Xavier’s last home affair, the Musketeers had to hold off South Carolina State by 3 in a game they were favored by 25.5.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Big East-Big 12 Battle: Xavier loss to TCU in Fort Worth
