This time around, West Virginia didn’t find itself in catchup mode for most of the matchup.
Instead, the Mountaineers failed to finish Saturday against TCU after leading for more than 7 minutes in the second half.
The Horned Frogs responded to a late four-point deficit by outscoring WVU 12-2 over the final 4:17, and that dominant stretch made all the difference in their 60-54 victory at Schollmaier Arena.
“Down the stretch, they did a better job executing and they got the ball close to the basket and we did not,” WVU head coach Ross Hodge said on postgame radio.
After Honor Huff made a three-pointer to give the visitors a 52-48 lead with 5:42 remaining, the Mountaineers made 1-of-6 shots and had three turnovers the rest of the way.
“Somebody has to be able to make a physical play, drive the ball with physicality and make the official make a choice,” Hodge said.
Meanwhile, TCU’s Brock Harding scored twice at the rim to tie the game at 52, before David Punch converted from close range for the Horned Frogs to lead by two with 2:35 left.
TCU capitalized on a second-chance — a theme throughout the contest — for a late four-point lead, which came when Punch scored in the paint again at the 1:36 mark.
Brenen Lorient’s layup with 25 seconds left marked the only WVU points down the stretch and brought the Mountaineers to within two, but Harding made two free throws 8 seconds later, and Jayden Pierre two more after Jasper Floyd’s turnover.
TCU (17-10, 7-7) trailed 21-16 before scoring 10 unanswered points and gaining a five-point advantage after a Harding triple.
“For large stretches of the game, it kind of felt like who actually wants to win this game today? I didn’t think either team played very well for most of the night,” Hodge said.
The Horned Frogs led by seven twice and 30-25 at halftime, though that advantage was gone 5 minutes into the second half following a Huff triple that knotted the contest at 34.
WVU gained its first second-half lead at 42-40 on a Lorient layup, and the led grew to six at the 8:03 mark after DJ Thomas scored inside.
TCU got back to within one before Huff connected from long range with 5:42 remaining, but things went south for the Mountaineers from that point forward.
It marks the second time WVU (16-11, 7-7) has lost consecutive games and the first instance in Big 12 play.
Huff scored a team-high 13 points in defeat and Lorient added 10. Chance Moore contributed nine.
The Mountaineers had 20 field goals and 16 turnovers.
“We got too passive. The ball is moving east and west and none of it is vertical,” Hodge said. “Somebody has to be able to physically attack a gap with some pace.“
WVU has failed to score 60 points in eight of 14 Big 12 games and six of its last eight. The Mountaineers are 2-6 in those eight games.
TCU had four double-figure scorers led by 14 from both Xavier Edmonds and Liutauras Lelevicius, who made half of his team’s six threes on four attempts. Punch scored 12 and Harding 11, with that duo combining for 16 after halftime.
The Horned Frogs enjoyed decisive advantages rebounding (39-28) and on free throws, where they made 18-of-27 attempts to the Mountaineers’ 9 of 12. Nineteen of the Horned Frogs’ boards were on the offensive end, helping them overcome 34 percent field-goal shooting.
“Too many times, they won 1-on-1 situations and kind of pushed us under the basket,” Hodge said.
Edmonds led all players with 13 boards.
“Our inability to rebound the basketball was the difference in the game,” Hodge said.
TCU has won five straight at home against the Mountaineers.
“The truth is, you can play hard, but at some point you have to play good,” Hodge said. “We didn’t play good enough for long enough today.“