Defense. Defense. Defense. After giving up 78 points in a stunning season-opening loss to the New Orleans Privateers, the TCU Horned Frogs haven’t allowed a single opponent to reach 67 since. Their dominant
defensive stretch continued against the Kansas City Roos, as TCU rolled to an 81–45 win behind a suffocating performance on the less glamorous end of the floor.
The Horned Frogs’ high-octane defense was evident from the opening tip, as they raced out to a 17–0 lead in the first five minutes. TCU forced four turnovers in that stretch and smothered the Roos into difficult looks, holding Kansas City to a 0-for-5 start from the field.
The Roos finally broke through around the 14-minute mark, and from there the game opened up offensively. Kansas City’s first four made shots all came from beyond the arc, while TCU answered with five triples of its own before the 10-minute mark. Even as the Roos started to find a rhythm, the Frogs stayed in high gear. TCU shot nearly 50 percent in the first half and knocked down seven threes, including three from Liutauras Lelevicius.
The second half opened with more hot shooting from the Horned Frogs, as Jayden Pierre drilled two threes within a minute to push the lead to 28. Then the momentum shifted. TCU went nearly nine minutes without a field goal—finally breaking the drought with a Tanner Toolson triple. During that stretch, the Frogs managed only three free throws, but their defense held firm, limiting the Roos to just four points of their own.
TCU’s offense rediscovered its spark after Toolson’s three, rattling off nine points over the next four minutes, including another Lelevicius three. Despite some second-half sloppiness and stretches of sluggish play, the Frogs still overwhelmed the Roos down the stretch. They closed out a 36-point win—their second-largest margin of the season.
The Horned Frogs finished the night shooting 39.7 percent from the field but compensated with a strong outing from beyond the arc, hitting 43.8 percent of their attempts from deep and knocking down a season-high 14 threes. They also tallied 21 assists on 27 made field goals and went 13-of-15 at the free-throw line. Pierre led the way with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting—all from beyond the arc—while Lelevicius added 16 on 5-of-7 from the floor. Though no other Frog reached double figures, David Punch delivered a standout all-around performance with eight points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Kansas City shot just 23.2 percent from the field and 21.9 percent from three, managing only six made two-pointers while committing 18 turnovers. Karmello Branch led all scorers with 18 points, including four threes.
TCU now has a week off before traveling to Southern California to face the defending national champion Florida Gators in the Rady Children’s Invitational. The teams will tip off at 2:00 p.m. CT on November 27.
