TCU knocks down Cowboys again

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Close is about as good as it gets for the Wyoming Cowboys these days, as TCU had enough at the end to hold on for a 76-68 win Saturday in the Arena-Auditorium.

The Horned Frogs (4-7 MWC, 12-14) used a 14-2 run to end the first half and never trailed again in the game. The Cowboys missed out on a golden opportunity to have a chance to stay out of the MWC tournament play-in game with a win over the Horned Frogs, but will now have to upset somebody down the road to avoid that game. Wyoming, which has lost five straight, is now 2-9 and 9-16.

“I thought we did some good things, but I tip my hat to TCU,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said “They really made some tough shots down the stretch and that was the difference.”

Nikola Cerina scored 21 points for TCU, which earned its second close win this season over Wyoming this season.. TCU beat the 'Pokes 62-59 in Fort Worth.

“We handled the pressure pretty well the whole night,” TCU coach Jim Christian said. “We took care of the basketball, and then had a guy in Nikola who could score on top of the basket, which we haven't had. He's starting to emerge, and it's becoming a weapon for us.”

Wyoming led 29-25, but managed just two points in the final five minutes of the first half, as the Horned Frogs led 39-31 at the break.

The Cowboys chipped away in the second half and cut the lead to one on a pair of occasions, but could never catch TCU. Leading 65-64, Edvinas Ruzgas hit a 3-pointer and Cerina added two free throws with 1:33 to play to put the Horned Frogs up by six. Greg Hill would add another 3-pointer with 52 seconds left to seal the win.

“We made some timely shots,” Christian said.

Ronnie Moss scored 15 points for TCU, followed by Hill with 12 and Ruzgas with 10. TCU shot 51 percent from the field (27 of 53), while hitting 8 of 17 3-pointers.

Cerina, who scored 14 points in the first half, was 6 of 12 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. His inside presence opened things up for the Horned Frogs outside game.

“When Nikola's a weapon, it shrinks the defense,” Christian said. “That brings a guy like Ed (Ruzgas) into play. He's not a guy who is going to create for himself, so he has to have somebody create for him.”

Freshman Desmar Jackson tied a career high with 22 points for Wyoming, while fellow frosh Amath M'Baye scored a career-high 14 points. Djibril Thiam and Arthur Bouedo scored 10 each for the Cowboys.

Although the Cowboys shot 46 percent from the field in the game, their last field goal came at the 5-minute mark. Wyoming showed marked improvement from the free-throw line, hitting 27 of 35 (77 percent).

“I was happy with the way we got to the free-throw line and the way we made free throws today,” Schroyer said.

Still, it's another loss that Schroyer and the young cowboys will have to deal with as they prepare for New Mexico Wednesday at The Pit, and BYU at home next Saturday.

“It's hard to lose, and I hate it as much as anyone,” Schroyer said. “But I told our kids that when you're young, you have to learn something from every game and work to get better from every experience.”