TCU Horned Frogs Grapple with Houston Cougars at Fertitta Center

The TCU Horned Frogs faced a challenging contest against the Houston Cougars, concluding with a 66-77 scoreline. The Horned Frogs now stand at 0-1, while the Cougars have taken their record to 1-0.

In an intense conference game at the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas, the TCU Horned Frogs displayed a valiant effort but ultimately fell short against the home team. The game saw both teams start equally strong, each putting up 20 points in the first quarter. However, TCU struggled in the second quarter with only nine points scored compared to Houston's 21. This slump proved costly despite a stronger second half from TCU where they outscored their opponents by seven points across quarters three and four.

The Horned Frogs' offense was led by their sharpshooting from beyond the arc; they matched their three-point attempts and conversions with Houston's at ten made shots from twenty-two attempts for an impressive 46 percent completion rate. Inside scoring contributed significantly as well with 24 points coming from within the paint.

Defensively though, TCU could not match up to Houston's prowess on steals and turnovers. The Cougars capitalized on turnovers scoring 26 points off them compared to just nine for TCU. Additionally, while both teams were nearly even on assists—10 for TCU and 11 for Houston—the assist-to-turnover ratio told another story: a lowly 0.43 for TCU against a more efficient 1.22 for their opponents.

Rebounding was one area where TCU excelled; they pulled down a total of thirty-nine rebounds including six offensive boards which led to nine second-chance points. However, this effort was overshadowed by personal fouls amounting to sixteen and one player being fouled out of the game.

Despite these challenges, individual performances stood out as some players showed resilience under pressure—particularly those who managed five steals throughout this tough encounter.

Looking ahead after this hard-fought battle in front of an attendance of one thousand six hundred thirty-five spectators, fans can anticipate another opportunity for redemption when The Horned Frogs host Kansas State Wildcats at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth on January seventeenth at six-thirty PM Central Time zone (CT). This upcoming matchup will be available live online via ESPN+.