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Mountaineers use late bump to nudge past TCU, 61-60

TCU guard Jaylen Fisher (0) fouls West Virginia’s Daxter Miles Jr. (4) in the last seconds Saturday at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth. WVU won 61-60.

 

Daxter Miles’ free throw after a controversial foul with 4.8 seconds left carried No. 12 West Virginia to a 61-60 win Saturday, severely denting TCU’s postseason tournament hopes in Fort Worth.

Miles finished with only three points, though his last one made the difference for West Virginia (23-6, 11-5 Big 12), coming after Frogs guard Jaylen Fisher was whistled for a slight bump as Miles tried a 15-foot runner.

“Dax didn’t really get it at the rim like he should have got it at the rim, but that’s what’s going on in the game,” said Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins. “A drive to the rim is a foul.”

TCU’s Jamie Dixon, in his first year atop a program that hasn’t reached the NCAA field since 1998, was disappointed yet diplomatic.

“It’ll be talked about a lot nationally, but you’ve got to go by what they call,” Dixon said. “I thought we did a good job defending. We didn’t’ get the break down the stretch. We’ve got to start making breaks.”

BOXSCORE: West Virginia 61, TCU 60

Fisher’s season-best 18 points proved small consolation when the freshman guard covered his face after TCU (17-12, 6-10) lost its fifth consecutive game to slip deeper into NCAA bubble peril.

“I felt my hands were straight up, but it went their way,” Fisher said.

Now with a 2-10 record against the RPI top 50, TCU saw its latest chance at a signature victory undone by 21 turnovers, six by Fisher.

MORE: Photo gallery from the game

Fisher split two free throws to leave TCU behind 60-59 at the 50-second mark. After Carter’s missed jumper, the Frogs rebounded, called timeout, and designed a play that got Alex Robinson to line with 9.1 seconds left, where he made his second free throw to tie it.

That set the stage for Huggins to draw up a court-long counter play, where Miles tossed an out-of-bounds pass to Nathan Adrian, took the return and scurried into the frontcourt.

With fans jeering the officials, Miles made the go-ahead free throw and missed his second try, keeping pace with his 57-percent career foul shooting.

TCU set up an efficient last-ditch play that led to Desmond Bane missing an open 3-point try from the right wing.

Jevon Carter scored 15 and Adrian had 13 points and eight rebounds as West Virginia swept the season series and improved to 11-0 all-time against the Frogs.

In a game Dixon dubbed “the biggest game of the year,” TCU held West Virginia to a season-low 36.9-percent shooting but the Mountaineers committed only 11 turnovers and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, leading to an additional 19 field-goal attempts.

“Walk in the park,” joked Huggins, whose team stands tied with Iowa State for second place in the Big 12.

TCU’s top scorer Vlad Brodziansky went scoreless on just one shot attempt during the first 24 minutes, before scoring 11 points and registering four blocks during a solid second half.

Robinson scored 11 for TCU, which got 10 points and 10 rebounds by Kenrich Williams.

Both teams were missing starting forwards. West Virginia played without second-leading scorer Esa Ahmad (back strain), while TCU lacked JD Miller (groin injury).

After opening the game shooting 2-of-14, TCU closed the half on a 7-of-10 tear including four 3-pointers. The last basket, Bane’s deep shot coming three seconds before halftime, gave the Frogs their first lead at 30-27.

Frogs in freefall

The second half featured 11 lead changes, saddling TCU with another near-miss.

“We’ve lost to five good teams in a row, so the schedule’s had something to do with it,” Dixon said. “At the same time, we have to win a game like this, and we didn’t. Playing close is not good enough. There are no rewards for that.”

Cold-shooting Mountaineers

West Virginia endured a frustrating day around the basket, making only 14-of-32 layups and dunks. Guard Tarik Phillip finished 0-of-8 from the floor, including five missed layups.

The Mountaineers’ previous season-low shooting performance was 37 percent during a 61-50 win at Oklahoma on Feb. 8.

Notes, numbers, etc.

Averaging 11.7 points and 4.1 rebounds, Ahmad did not make the Mountaineers’ flight from Morgantown, and there were no plans to unite him with the team before Monday night’s game at Baylor. … TCU’s Miller had started all but two games this season, scoring 7.8 points and grabbing 3.3 rebounds. He had scored in double-figures five of the last seven games. … The Frogs blocked nine shots, their second-most in a game this season. … TCU finished 12-of-20 overall and 4-of-8 at the foul line during the last 4:05.





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