Xavier Edmonds scored 16 points to lead TCU to a 65-55 comeback win over North Texas on Sunday at the Coast-to-Coast Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
David Punch had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Tanner Toolson added 10 points off the bench for TCU (6-3), which had a 34-18 advantage in the second half.
David Terrell Jr. racked up 16 points for the Mean Green (7-3). Dylan Arnett contributed 11 points for North Texas, whose four-game winning streak was snapped.
While the Mean Green had the hot hand as they closed the first half with a 37-31 advantage, their first bucket in the second half didn’t come until 14:48 was left in regulation.
TCU started the second half with a 7-0 scoring spurt and took a 38-37 lead when Brock Harding hit one of three free throws that were a result of North Texas coach Daniyal Robinson and the Mean Green bench being assessed technical fouls.
After a TCU turnover, Reece Robinson’s layup let the Mean Green pull even again at 43 with 10:58 to play.
A Terrell three from the top of the key cut the Horned Frogs’ lead to 50-49 lead with 7:15 to play. It was the closest North Texas would get as TCU pulled away with a 9-0 run. Punch’s tip-in put TCU up 61-51 with 3:27 to play.
In a tightly contested first half, North Texas’ Je’Shawn Stevenson drew in two defenders before making a slick shovel pass to Arnett for a dunk to cut the TCU lead to 21-17 with 9:17 remaining.
The Mean Green closed the final 8:18 of the first half with a 16-7 run. Demarion Watson nailed a 3-pointer which Terrell followed with a steal and layup as North Texas took a 30-25 lead with 4:25 left.
The Horned Frogs called a timeout to stem the tide, but Cole Franklin’s layup kept capped seven straight points from North Texas. Harding snapped the Mean Green run with a midrange jumper and TCU trailed 32-27 late in the first half.
TCU had 17 turnovers in the game and the Mean Green 14. But TCU had a 15-9 edge in points off turnovers.
