TCU basketball uses second half surge to pull away from California
Despite more bad luck with the injury bug, TCU was able to prevail 59-48 against California in the semifinals of the Emerald Coast Classic Friday night in Niceville, Florida.
The Horned Frogs got Mike Miles Jr. back from a bone bruise, but had to play without second-leading scorer Emanuel Miller, who missed the game with a back injury.
Miles made up for Miller’s absence as he poured in a game-high 23 points and 17 in the second half.
Facing one of the worst offensive teams in the country without one of their top scorers, the game started sluggishly as both teams only shot around 30% in the first half.
The Horned Frogs lead 27-21 at the break and started the second half with a 6-0 surge capped by a Chuck O’Bannon layup in transition.
The Golden Bears got back within 33-27 but the Horned Frogs responded with a 11-3 run with Miles chipping in four points and Rondel Walker hitting a transition 3-pointer that made it 44-30 with 9:31 remaining.
TCU maintained a double digit lead the rest of the way despite the Golden Bears attempts to move closer. Miles hit a tough layup and added a free throw after being fouled to make it 57-44 with 3:12 remaining in the contest.
There are still things to clear up for the Horned Frogs as they struggled behind the arc and hit only 57% of their free throws. It was still enough to beat a still winless California team.
TCU will face No. 25 Iowa in the Emerald Coast Classic at 6 p.m. Saturday on CBS Sports Network.
