LUBBOCK, Texas — Blame the turnovers. TCU basketball led by as many as 13 points twice in the first half, but unraveled with turnover after turnover in an 82-69 loss at No. 9 Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon.
TCU finished the game with 20 turnovers, which Tech turned into 26 points.
TCU had 16 points off 11 turnovers by Tech. The Red Raiders out-scored the Frogs 45-29 in the second half.
TCU (16-6, 5-5 Big 12) remains winless in Lubbock under Jamie Dixon. Tech (19-6, 8-4 Big 12), meanwhile, improved to 15-0 at the United Supermarkets Arena and has yet to lose consecutive games. The Red Raiders fell at Oklahoma on Wednesday.
For TCU, it felt like an upset and signature victory could be in the making early on. The Frogs, which entered the game as the Big 12’s worst 3-point shooting team, started on fire from deep.
TCU made seven of its first 14 3s to build a 35-22 lead by the 5:22 mark of the first half. But those positive vibes quickly vanished.
TCU turned it over four times and went just 1 of 7 from the field the final five minutes of the opening half as Tech pulled to within 40-37 by halftime.
Those struggles carried into the second half for TCU. Tech opened on a 9-0 run, taking a 41-40 lead on a second-chance layup by Bryson Williams with 19 minutes left, and never looked back.
TCU had five turnovers in the first five minutes of the second half, including two straight coming out of a media timeout. Dixon burned a timeout after the last one resulted in a fast-break dunk by Tech’s Marcos Santos-Silva and Tech extending its lead to 52-44.
But that break didn’t help the Frogs regroup. They turned it over on the first two possessions coming out of it.
TCU returns to action against Iowa State on Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at Schollmaier Arena.
