Texas Tech Athletics
TCU
Red Raiders Flatten Frogs, 99-86
December 01, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Dec 1, 2001
By BETSY BLANEY
Associated Press Writer
LUBBOCK, Texas - Bob Knight's players showed their coach and fans everywhere how proficiently they've adopted his style.
"We can't play any better than we did in the beginning of the game," Knight said after Texas Tech beat TCU 99-86 Saturday.
"I have not had a team play better than that, particularly in a game that was a featured game that was on national television," he said. "These kids came out and really played really well."
Kasib Powell scored 13 points in the first four minutes during a 19-6 run by Texas Tech.
Powell finished with 29 points and Andy Ellis added 22 for the Red Raiders (6-1).
Texas Tech led by 27 points at one point in the first half before TCU (4-3) went on a 10-0 run. The Horned Frogs pulled to within eight points with 5:32 remaining in the game, but Tech scored seven unanswered points to quell the threat.
"We never got anything going," TCU coach Billy Tubbs said. "We got too far behind to catch up. The game was decided in the first 10 minutes. After that, we'd spurt and then they'd spurt back. I don't think we're good enough to spot any team any points, much less 27 points."
Tech's swarming man-to-man defense kept TCU's run-and-gun offense off balance. In one four-minute stretch, TCU turned the ball over five times and missed five of six shots.
Corey Santee led TCU with 22 points. Bingo Merriex added 21.
It was the first time this season that Tech has surpassed 90 points in a game.
The Red Raiders blew a double-digit halftime lead in a loss to Sam Houston State a week ago, but in the past three games, Tech seems to have gotten a handle on how to hang on to a lead. They did against UTEP, New Mexico State and now against TCU.
"We've come a long way from when we first got here," Powell said. "Our chemistry is good. It's not where you have to depend on one person. We play as one."
But Knight said the team has work to do still. Tech has almost two weeks off before playing at Houston on Dec. 14.
"We have a long way to go," Knight said. "I'm glad we have a practice period. We can work on getting smarter and better."
For the Horned Frogs, it was only the second time this season they have been held to under 90 points.
Tech had some lapses in the second half, including a 10-2 run by TCU midway through the period. Turnovers and bad passes by Tech led to opportunities the Horned Frogs capitalized on.
Tech played nearly flawless in the first 20 minutes and led 53-25 at halftime. The Red Raiders built a 27-point lead at 39-12 after a 17-4 run.
Powell was all over the floor in the first half, shooting from outside and driving to the basket. He didn't miss in the first four minutes of the game, hitting 5-of-5 from the field, knocking down a 3-pointer, and was 2-for-2 from the line. By halftime, he had 25 points and eight rebounds.
"I was able to do a lot of good things early for the team," Powell said. "I was trying to get us off to a good start. Everybody was ready to play, and we just fed off each other."
All five Tech starters scored in double figures. Will Chavis directed Knight's motion offense to near perfection, notching nine assists, eight rebounds and 21 points. Tech's other guard, Nick Valdez, had 13 points and five assists, and Andre Emmett added 12 points.
Tubbs and Knight are old acquaintances, but it was the first time they have coached against each other. Their 1983 teams played in the NCAA tournament when Tubbs was at Oklahoma and Knight was at Indiana, but Tubbs was injured by a car while jogging and did not coach that game.
