Two days after falling to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in overtime, the TCU Horned Frogs returned to action at nearby Dickies Arena, taking on the North Texas Mean Green in the US LBM Coast to Coast Challenge.
After starting hot but getting outscored in the second half against the Irish, TCU flipped the script against the Mean Green, ultimately knocking off North Texas, 65-55.
The Frogs scored the first points of the afternoon, but North Texas’s hounding defense kept the game tight, with the teams combining for just 12 points in the opening five minutes. The Mean Green’s pressure created a fast-paced, scrambled flow, allowing nine different Frogs to score in the first 10 minutes. From there, Xavier Edmonds began to assert himself, knocking down three straight field goals to give TCU a 24–21 lead near the midway point of the half.
But the three-point margin didn’t hold for long. North Texas answered with an 11–1 run to take a 32–25 lead with just under three minutes left in the half. TCU steadied itself late, scoring six of the final 11 points, but still went into the break trailing by six.
TCU’s momentum carried firmly into the second half. The Frogs opened with a burst of physicality that mirrored North Texas’s first-half intensity, pestering the Mean Green’s offense. TCU’s offense matched defensive energy, scoring the first seven points of the period. North Texas briefly reclaimed the lead at 40–39, but a David Punch fastbreak dunk pushed TCU back in front—a lead the Frogs would not relinquish.
Through steady offense and sound defense, the Horned Frogs kept North Texas at arm’s length. TCU finally created separation near the six-minute mark, and a Punch lay-in pushed the Frogs to their first double-digit lead with 3:27 remaining. Even as the Mean Green increased their pressure, TCU remained composed, committing only two turnovers the rest of the way. From Punch’s basket onward, each team scored four points, sealing a 65–55 TCU victory.
Despite turning it over 17 times, the Frogs controlled the game with their physicality, outrebounding North Texas 38–25 and generating 17 second-chance points. TCU shot 44.4 percent from the field and just 17.6 percent from deep, but its frontcourt carried the load. Edmonds finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Punch recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 boards.
North Texas was led by David Terrell Jr., who scored a season-high 16 points. Leading scorer Je’Shawn Stevenson managed only one field goal but still totaled nine points thanks to a 7-for-8 effort at the line.
After navigating a grueling stretch of games, TCU enters a more manageable portion of its schedule. The Frogs will host Incarnate Word next Monday, Dec. 15, at 7:00 p.m. CT.
