Stephen F. Austin
TCU
TCU Holds off Lumberjacks
11/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2006
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks' hot start from 3-point range was nowhere to be found Tuesday night against Texas Christian. After hitting 50 percent from long range in its season-opening win, SFA was just 3-for-14 (21 percent) from downtown and shot 36 percent for the game as the Horned Frogs held off a late charge for a 59-53 win in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
TCU (2-0) was not much better from 3-point range, but the Horned Frogs shot 48 percent overall and took advantage of a ton of SFA (1-1) turnovers in the first half to build a sturdy lead. Cushioned by its early lead, TCU was able to weather a 12-3 run by the Lumberjacks late in the second half. The Horned Frogs also showed good depth Tuesday, as TCU's bench outscored the SFA reserves, 24-12.
SFA whittled the lead to one (50-49) with 4:47 left on a layup by junior point guard Gerald Fonzie. Fonzie's basket capped a 12-3 Lumberjack run that started at the 9:25 mark. Junior forward Scott Weaver led the way on the streak with a 3-pointer and a layup.
But TCU answered with a pair of free throws to regain its footing, and the Lumberjacks could get no closer down the stretch.
Three Lumberjacks reached double figures in scoring, led by senior center Antuane Miller, who had 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Senior guard Chaz Dykes and sophomore forward Josh Alexander added 10 points each.
TCU didn't have a single player score in double digits, but seven different Horned Frogs scored six points or more. Guard Brent Hackett scored nine to lead the way, and Keion Mitchem added eight points.
Turnovers - or, more accurately, the teams' respective production off turnovers - were the story in the first half. SFA committed 12 miscues before halftime, and an opportunistic TCU squad got 13 points off the Lumberjack turnovers. SFA forced the Horned Frogs into 10 turnovers of their own, but couldn't get anything out of them at the other end, scoring just one point off turnovers.
SFA balanced that stat out in the second half and finished with 14 points off turnovers to TCU's 18. The teams combined for 41 turnovers, 19 coming from SFA.
TCU did the majority of its damage in the first half during four-minute run. The Lumberjacks tied the score at eight on a free throw by Miller at the 15-minute mark. But TCU answered with a layup by Parker Alvardo, and the Frogs rattled off an 11-2 streak. TCU shot 4-of-6 on the run to take a 19-10 lead with 11:18 left.
SFA will return to action Saturday, when the Lumberjacks travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the Razorbacks. The game is set to start at 7 p.m.
- SFA -
