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GoFrogs: West Virginia Tops TCU, 63-50

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http://gofrogs.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/020913aaa.html

West Virginia Tops TCU, 63-50

Anderson leads TCU with 16 points.

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FORT WORTH—Sophomore guard Kyan Anderson scored a team-high 16 points Saturday, but West Virginia stepped up its defensive effort in the second half to defeat TCU at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, 63-50.

The setback dropped the Horned Frogs’ overall record to 10-13 overall, including 1-9 in Big 12 Conference play. West Virginia improved to 12-11 overall and 5-5 in the Big 12 after sweeping the season series with TCU.

Anderson led TCU’s offensive efforts with a 7-of-12 shooting effort and added four rebounds in 37 minutes. Senior Connell Crossland also reached double figures for the third time in the last five games with a career-high 13 points and added a game-high nine rebounds. Crossland, who entered the day shooting only 38.3 percent from the free-throw line, sank 7-of-9 attempts Saturday, both career highs.

Senior guard Nate Butler Lind also continued the best offensive stretch of his career with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting. He has scored at least nine in three of the last four contests.

Three Mountaineers reached double figures, including guard Terry Henderson, who totaled a game-high 17 points with the help of a 3-of-4 showing from beyond the arc. West Virginia went 7-of-10 from 3-point range as a team, the best rate against the Frogs this year.

Guards Eron Harris (14 points) and Jabarie Hinds (12 points) also hit double digits while combining to make three of their four attempts from 3.

TCU recorded one of its best shooting halves of the season in the opening period but still found itself trailing by three at intermission due to an aggressive WVU defense that forced the Frogs into 12 turnovers. The Frogs kept themselves in the game by making 9-of-15 field goals in the half, good for a 60.0 percent clip, while pulling in 16 rebounds compared to only five for the Mountaineers.

The Frogs trailed by as many as six points in the opening stanza before putting together a 9-3 run late in the half fueled by four Butler Lind points and a 3 from Anderson. Hinds answered with a trey just before the buzzer to give WVU the advantage at the break, 31-28.

TCU’s offensive success would not last, as WVU switched to a zone defensive scheme in the second half that stifled the Frogs’ efforts. The Mountaineers held TCU to only 25.0 percent (8-of-32) shooting following intermission.

The Frogs briefly regained a one-point edge following halftime by scoring the first four points of the period, but WVU had the answer that put it back in front for good. The Mountaineers responded with an 11-2 run to move back in front by eight, then another 9-1 later in the half to push ahead by 11, 51-40. Harris sank 3-pointers to conclude both runs.

TCU was unable to regroup, as West Virginia limited the squad to only three field goals in the final 13:03.
WVU was able to hold the Frogs at bay despite a 34-23 rebounding deficit for the game, the largest advantage for TCU in Big 12 play this season.

TCU concludes its stretch of three games in six days Monday, when it travels to Norman, Okla., to take on Oklahoma at 6 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.

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POSTGAME QUOTES
West Virginia 63, TCU 50
Fort Worth, Texas (Daniel-Meyer Coliseum)
Feb. 9, 2013
Attendance: 5,192

TCU HEAD COACH Trent Johnson
Opening statement:
“Well, it’s pretty simple. They are more physically and mentally tough then we are. (West Virginia head coach Bob) Huggins is always good at challenging his players from a physical standpoint. We had a bad start in terms of coming out of the locker room and knowing that we were going to run three set plays with different looks. The thing that bothers me is that when you play a team this aggressive, it doesn’t matter what has happened in the past.”

On Garlon Green’s early foul troubles:
“He wasn’t aggressive enough. We aren’t talking about hitting the guy. We are talking about being aggressive, which is different. It’s hard right now because you can’t simulate that in practice. You can simulate what your opponents will be like. You can only go off of numbers.”

On the strong recent play of Connell Crossland:
“He is playing to his strengths more. He’s talking more defensively. All of his points were coming from rebounds.”

WEST VIRGINIA HEAD COACH BOB HUGGINS
On slowing down TCU’s offense in the second half and playing better in the second half:
“We guarded better. We were out-rebounded; I think it was 16-5 in the first half. We just didn’t guard very well. We didn’t play with a lot of energy. I thought the second half we did a much better job offensively.”

On West Virginia’s defense:
“We went to a 2-3 zone because they were attacking us. I thought everyone was going to foul out. We went to a 2-3 zone to try to burn some clock and try to not make them come right down and attack us. (Aaric) Murray made some big plays for us. He made a couple of blocks and big plays.”

On if he likes his team more after their recent wins:
“I decided I’ve never been through a year like this. I’m not going to be unhappy with them. I’m going to be happy. I’m going to get some barbeque and get on that plane and head back, then turn around Tuesday and come back to Waco.”

On if he has a concern about being out-rebounded today:
“We haven’t played a 2-3 zone since the Oklahoma game, and we lost the Oklahoma game because we got out-rebounded. Am I concerned about it? Yeah, I am.”

On the play of Eron Harris:
“I think in all honesty he has been really our only perimeter shooter, so I think the truth of the matter is before he was just kind of one of the guys running around out there and now I think everybody sets their defense to make sure he doesn’t get the looks that he did get before. If you think about the guy that they were chasing before was Terry (Henderson), and then Terry got hurt. I don’t think anyone thought Erion could shoot it the way he shoots it.”

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POSTGAME NOTES
West Virginia 63, TCU 50
Fort Worth, Texas (Daniel-Meyer Coliseum)
Feb. 9, 2013
Attendance: 5,192

* TCU dropped to 10-13 overall and 1-9 in Big 12 Conference play.

* Kyan Anderson scored 16 points, his most since totaling 19 during the Jan. 23 loss at West Virginia. He led the team in scoring for the sixth time.

* Connell Crossland set a new career scoring high with 13 points, breaking his previous best of 12 points recorded on three occasions.

* Crossland made 7-of-9 free-throw attempts, which both marked career bests.

* Crossland led TCU on the glass for the third consecutive game, pulling down nine rebounds. He had totaled at least 12 boards in two straight games entering Saturday.

* Garlon Green made his 119th appearance in a Frog uniform to move into a tie for seventh place on TCU’s career games played list with Dennis Davis (1995-98).

* TCU posted a 35-24 rebounding advantage, its largest in Big 12 play this season.

* TCU’s 19 attempts from 3-point range were a season high.

* The game featured three ties and six lead changes.
 
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