Men’s Basketball: Frogs fall to Bearcats 75-63

TCU suffers a road loss in the Queen City

Feb 22, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; TCU Horned Frogs guard Vasean Allette (3) dribbles against Cincinnati Bearcats guard Jizzle James (2) in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The TCU Horned Frogs (15-12, 8-8) fell to the Cincinnati Bearcats (16-11, 6-10) 75-63 on Saturday.

It was a blazing start for the Bearcats, who exploded on a 13-0 run to start the game. Shooting six-of-nine from the field, Cincinnati silenced the Frogs, holding them scoreless for the first six minutes and 55 seconds of the ballgame.

TCU had missed their first six shots before Vasean Allette drained a three-pointer to get the Frogs’ first points. Allette’s three sparked a dominant 15-6 run for which TCU cut the deficit to four, trailing 19-15.

Feb 22, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; TCU Horned Frogs center Ernest Udeh Jr. (8) blocks a shot by Cincinnati Bearcats guard Dan Skillings Jr. (0) in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Frogs dug themselves a hole with their early struggles. Trailing 31-24 at the half, TCU continued to trail by double-figures for the next 18 minutes of the second half. While the Bearcats led by as many as 20 in the second, the Frogs tallied six-straight points, cutting the deficit to nine with just over two minutes to play.

But the Frogs' struggles early provided a mountain too tall to climb. TCU shot 40.9% from the field but just 26.1% from beyond the arc.

Strangely, the Frogs shot better from the field and behind the three-point line than did the Bearcats, but Cincinnati got to the free throw line and cashed in on 15-of-17 attempts, whereas TCU made just three-of-four from the charity stripe.

Feb 22, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; TCU Horned Frogs forward David Punch (15) dribbles against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Three Frogs tallied double-figures scoring, including David Punch (18), Vasean Allette (13) and Trazarien White (10). Punch had an all-around top performance for TCU which included six rebounds, three assists, a pair of steals and a block.

TCU now falls to 15-12 overall and 8-8 in Big 12 play. The Frogs will return home and host the West Virginia Mountaineers (16-11, 7-9) on Tuesday night at Schollmaier Arena.

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