TCU basketball pulls away in second half, finishes with a blowout victory over Omaha

TCU’s matchup with Omaha went a lot different than the Horned Frogs season opener on Monday.

After putting an offensive display with high-flying dunks and plenty of 3s against Southern on Monday, the Horned Frogs had to grit out a 82-60 win over the Omaha Mavericks on Thursday at Schollmaier Arena.

“I thought Omaha played really hard, really physical,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “I think they’re good. Defensively we made improvements, I wasn’t happy with where we were last game and we made improvements. I think the things we emphasized we did.”

Nine first-half turnovers and 25% from 3 in the opening 20 minutes led to a clunky first half offensively, but the Horned Frogs still maintained a 43-33 edge at halftime.

Jamie Dixon’s halftime speech did wonders as TCU raced out to a 12-0 run to blow the game open. Emanuel Miller and JaKobe Coles were the catalysts during the run combining for 10 of those 12 points during the decisive stretch.

The Horned Frogs are set to face UT-Rio Grande Valley at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Coles the go-to guy?

After scoring 17 against Southern, Coles continued his hot start to the season with a 15-point first half against Omaha. After hitting a baseline jump shot, Coles came back a few possessions later and made a 3-pointer that gave TCU a 10-7 advantage. Coles would get three points the old fashioned way midway through the half when he powered his way through a foul for a basket in the paint.

Coles knocked down his second 3 of the half with just under three minutes remaining before halftime that made it 39-27 and give TCU some much needed breathing room. Coles wound up hitting his first seven shots and continues to look like TCU’s top option in the halfcourt through the first two games. From long distance 3s to mid-range pull-up jumpers, Coles has an advanced offensive game that’s shined so far.

Coles tied a career-high with 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field.

“I’ve always been ready for this moment, I’ve been working hard this summer,” Coles said. “I’ve been consistent with my work. I’m happy the shots are falling, but continuing to keep working and getting better is what I’m focused on.”

Mostafa’s moment

Of all the transfers TCU landed this offseason, Essam Mostafa was the one who went under the radar. But against the smaller Mavericks, the Coastal Carolina transfer gave TCU a much needed boost with starting center Ernest Udeh dealing with foul trouble.

Mostafa’s first two baskets came off put-backs after he snatched offensive rebounds away from defenders. WIth roughly five minutes to go, Mostafa showed off his impressive footwork in the post and quickly used a number of moves to create space for a post layup that made it 32-24. The senior center couldn’t help but smile running back down the court.

Mostafa spent most of the second half doing the dirty work, grabbing rebounds and playing solid defense. With so many scorers and playmakers, it’s imperative to have a player like Mostafa who knows and accepts his role. As Dixon sorts out the rotation, Mostafa may have earned some extra minutes in the next game. Mostafa chipped in seven points, six rebounds and a block in Thursday’s victory.

“I’m just here to help the team do whatever to win,” Mostafa said. “If the team wants me to rebound, I’ll rebound. If the team wants me to score, I’ll score. Just whatever it takes to get the win.”

Miller comes alive

Miller had a quiet game in the season opener, and the preseason All-Big 12 forward got off to another slow start against Omaha. After hitting a layup to tie the game at 5-5 with 18:02 remaining in the first half, Miller didn’t score another bucket until there was less than a minute remaining in the half.

His inability to get going offensively was one reason Omaha was able to hang around, but Miller played his best at the start of the second half. He snatched an offensive rebound and scored a put-back; then his teammates started to find him in transition as he scored two fastbreak layups.

Then Miller delivered the highlight of the night as Xavier Cork dished him a quick pass and Miller went up for a powerful dunk that got the home crowd off their feet. Miller finished with 17 points.

Second-half defense excels

Even after scoring 108 points in the season opener, Dixon couldn’t but focus on TCU’s lack of effectiveness on defense. After allowing Omaha to shoot 46% from the field and better than 40% from 3 in the first half, Dixon got after the Horned Frogs again at halftime and was able to get a much better defensive effort in the final 20 minutes.

In the first nine minutes of the second half, Omaha was held to four points and shot 20% from the field and behind the arc. The Mavericks hit four 3-pointers in the first half, but were held to just one in the second until the final minutes when the game was out of reach.

Jameer Nelson and Miller helped set the tone and were extremely active in the passing lanes and forced six steals. Trevian Tennyson also had some good moments guarding bigger opponents.

The goal for TCU now is finding a way to start games faster on the defensive end.