Frogs Splash Oklahoma State in Ft. Worth
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Mike Miles Jr. went almost six minutes into his first game in three weeks before taking a shot for TCU. He swished a 3-pointer.
Miles, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, had 15 points in his return from a knee issue, while five of his teammates also scored in double figures to help the 22nd-ranked Horned Frogs hit the century mark for the first time ever in a Big 12 game. They beat Oklahoma State 100-75 on Saturday, ending a four-game losing streak.
“It was good being back out there with my guys helping,” Miles said. “It hurt me being on the bench while we were losing, not being able to help.”
The Frogs (18-9, 7-7 Big 12) had lost five of six games, a stretch that began with a Jan. 28 loss at Mississippi State - where Miles hyperextended his right knee in the opening four minutes.
“We were very conservative with this thing coming back,” coach Jamie Dixon said of Miles' return. “He practiced four times, so we felt pretty good that he was ready to go from the start.”
Emanuel Miller had 18 points to lead TCU, which shot a staggering season-high 68.4% (39 of 57) from the field. Damion Baugh had 16 points with 11 assists. Shahada Wells had 15 points, Chuck O’Bannon 12 and Micah Peavy 10.
Bryce Thompson scored 18 points and John-Michael White 15 for the Cowboys (16-11, 7-7). Before a home loss Tuesday to fifth-ranked Kansas, they had a five-game winning streak that included a win over TCU without Miles or big man Eddie Lampkin.
“The only statement that was made today was by TCU,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. “They played like a team that had a tremendous amount of purpose and it didn’t help having a preseason player of the year back. I think it helped lift up those other guys.”
Miles and Lampkin hadn't shared the floor since a 23-point win at Kansas on Jan. 21. Lampkin, the team's emotional leader, sustained a left high ankle sprain in that game and missed four of six games after that.
“It was good to have some guys back, obviously. I saw it in practice yesterday, we are a different team,” Dixon said. “Eddie at full speed, and then obviously Mike. So, I mean, not too much of a surprise.”
CENTURY SHOOTING
It was only the third time in Dixon's seven seasons that TCU scored at least 100 points, and second this season. The Frogs beat Central Arkansas 103-57 on Dec. 28.
Their 68.4% shooting was the third-best in school history. Dixon was a guard for the Frogs when they had their top two shooting games: 69.9% against Howard Payne on Nov. 26, 1985, and 69.1% against Oklahoma State on Dec. 26, 1986.
TAKING THE LEAD
The Cowboys led 19-16 on a 3-pointer by White with 11:13 left in the first half. TCU then went on a 17-2 run in just over seven minutes - going ahead for good with back-to-back inside baskets by Xavier Cork - and outscored Oklahoma State 31-8 the rest of the half for a 47-27 lead.
BIG PICTURE
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys were undone by 11 turnovers in the first half that led to 15 points for TCU. They were also outscored 20-2 in the paint before halftime - and 50-20 in the game.
TCU: Miles, who played 35 minutes, was clearly a boost. While the Frogs returned pretty much their entire team from last season, when they won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 35 years, there is a different energy with Miles and Lampkin on the court together.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
TCU managed to stay ranked through their slump without Miles, including an 11-point loss at 19th-ranked Iowa State on Wednesday night. The Frogs currently have a school-record streak of being ranked in 11 consecutive polls - and that'll likely extend that when the new AP Top 25 is released Monday.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma State: On the road Monday night with a chance for a regular-season sweep of West Virginia.
TCU: Goes for a regular-season series sweep of Kansas on Monday night at home.