Men’s Basketball: Horned Frogs’ defense suffocates Roos in lopsided win

Defense. Defense. Defense. After giving up 78 points in a stunning season-opening loss to the New Orleans Privateers, the TCU Horned Frogs haven’t allowed a single opponent to reach 67 since. Their dominant defensive stretch continued against the Kansas City Roos, as TCU rolled to an 81–45 win behind a suffocating performance on the less glamorous end of the floor.

The Horned Frogs’ high-octane defense was evident from the opening tip, as they raced out to a 17–0 lead in the first five minutes. TCU forced four turnovers in that stretch and smothered the Roos into difficult looks, holding Kansas City to a 0-for-5 start from the field.

The Roos finally broke through around the 14-minute mark, and from there the game opened up offensively. Kansas City’s first four made shots all came from beyond the arc, while TCU answered with five triples of its own before the 10-minute mark. Even as the Roos started to find a rhythm, the Frogs stayed in high gear. TCU shot nearly 50 percent in the first half and knocked down seven threes, including three from Liutauras Lelevicius.

The second half opened with more hot shooting from the Horned Frogs, as Jayden Pierre drilled two threes within a minute to push the lead to 28. Then the momentum shifted. TCU went nearly nine minutes without a field goal—finally breaking the drought with a Tanner Toolson triple. During that stretch, the Frogs managed only three free throws, but their defense held firm, limiting the Roos to just four points of their own.

TCU’s offense rediscovered its spark after Toolson’s three, rattling off nine points over the next four minutes, including another Lelevicius three. Despite some second-half sloppiness and stretches of sluggish play, the Frogs still overwhelmed the Roos down the stretch. They closed out a 36-point win—their second-largest margin of the season.

The Horned Frogs finished the night shooting 39.7 percent from the field but compensated with a strong outing from beyond the arc, hitting…

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Publish date : 2025-11-20 13:59:00

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