Xavier falls to TCU in Fort Worth

FORT WORTH, Texas – Playing in its final Big East-Big 12 battle, Xavier made sure Fort Worth won’t be on anyone’s mind anytime soon as the Musketeers fell to TCU in a 76-72 loss at Schollmaier Arena on Thursday stumbled late.

Xavier’s early season struggles were still present in the Lone Star State, as the Musketeers’ offense started slowly, struggled with turnovers and their defense failed to consistently get stops.

The Musketeers made their run with a strong second half, but TCU pulled away with takeaways and free throws in the final minute.

Xavier (7-2) has lost two of its last three games after a 6-0 start, and its only win during that time was a narrow escape against South Carolina State. The Musketeers have several issues that need to be addressed as several big matchups loom.

Observations from the Xavier Musketeers’ loss to the TCU Horned Frogs

Xavier recovers in the 2nd half but falls too late

Xavier came out of the locker room improving in several areas. The Musketeers’ biggest win came after the 12-minute media timeout with a 13-2 run for a 60-54 lead, their largest of the night.

In the second half, which featured eight lead changes, TCU was at its best when it mattered most, while Xavier repeatedly shot itself in the foot. The Musketeers fouled a three-point shot that missed, allowing TCU’s Brendan Wenzel to tie the game at 69-69.

With just over a minute left, Xavier turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions, leading to four straight points for TCU guard Vasean Allette. The Musketeers followed with two misses in a row and that was it.

Xavier has suffered from poor ball security in the last two games (35 turnovers) and that was the biggest problem in crunch time as TCU ended the game with a 9-3 run.

“The mistakes down the stretch, when we took the lead, we forgot about our ball defense, we fouled a three-point shooter, we missed a free throw,” Xavier head coach Sean Miller said. “There were five or six things you can’t do to be a winning team on the road.”

Xavier coughed 15 times on Thursday, which was a big reason they were on the wrong side of the scoreboard when the dust settled, despite shooting 53.8% in the second half.

Zach Freemantle continued to play one of the best basketball players of his career with 16 points and 6 rebounds. He was joined in double figures by Dailyn Swain (12) and Ryan Conwell (17).

Dante Maddox gives Xavier great minutes off the bench

Dante Maddox played less than a minute in Sunday’s win over South Carolina State.

With Xavier desperately in need of some home production, Maddox provided the Musketeers’ biggest spark in Texas. It started in the first half when the Toledo transfer knocked down his first three-pointer since November 16th.

In the second half, Marcus Foster chased down a long offensive rebound and found Maddox in the corner for another three-pointer. On TCU’s ensuing possession, Maddox recorded a steal and found McKnight on the fast break to cap a 13-2 run that gave Xavier a 60-54 lead with 7:26 left.

“I thought he (Maddox) was the highlight of our trip,” Miller said. “We were waiting for him. It’s up to me to give him the confidence and the opportunity to do what he did tonight. It was great to see him take advantage of that.”

Maddox finished the game with 9 points on 3 of 4 shooting from downtown and tied Freemantle for the team lead with a half-dozen boards.

TCU shoots early through scouting report

Through its 4-3 start, TCU shot just 40.7% from the floor and 28.7% from 3-point range, both of which were last in the 16-team Big 12 Conference. The Horned Frogs threw those odds out the window at the start of Thursday’s affair.

TCU came out with flying colors, thwarting four of its first six attempts from long range. Wenzel and freshman forward Micah Robinson each shot 2 of 3 from downtown in the first half as Xavier’s defense offered little resistance on the perimeter and allowed clean attacks too often.

Wenzel scored seven of TCU’s 11 points to put the Horned Frogs back in front at 65-63 after Xavier had its largest lead of the game. Wenzel finished with 15 and Frankie Collins had 16 on 7-of-13 shooting.

Poor rebounding is a problem for the Musketeers

While the first half started with hot shooting from TCU, that eventually evened out and the Horned Frogs shot just 41.2% at the break. The clear theme in the first 20 minutes was Xavier’s inability to get stops as TCU misfired.

The Horned Frogs converted nine offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points in the first half. Junior Ernest Udeh, a 6-foot-11 center, hit an alley-oop after a TCU offensive rebound, helping the Horned Frogs take a 37-29 lead into the locker room.

“TCU was clearly the more athletic, physical and tougher team at the beginning. They beat us on the glass. I think we were very fortunate to be down at halftime,” Miller said.

Xavier was a different group on the boards in the second half, allowing just one offensive rebound and zero second chance points. The Musketeers flipped the script and ended up with 10 second chances of their own, and the rebound battle ended in a 31-31 tie.

“At halftime we talked about positioning, being physical and blocking,” Miller said. “The physicality was better.”

Xavier is still making final preparations before the big week

Xavier will return to the Cintas Center to host Morgan State on Tuesday. The Musketeers will then be put to the test with three games against ranked opponents within seven days.

This week begins with the most anticipated game of the regular season as Xavier will host No. 14 UC in the 92nd Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout on Saturday, December 14th. 5 Marquette December 21st before Christmas break.

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Xavier falls to TCU in Fort Worth

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