FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — TCU’s best shooters came off the bench in the Horned Frogs’ last game before opening Big 12 Conference play.
Desmond Bane had 18 points and Brandon Parrish had nine points on three 3-pointers, all in a 63-second span in the first half after a sluggish start for both teams, and TCU never trailed in a 74-42 victory over Bradley on Wednesday night to stay undefeated at home.
“Brandon gives us a spark off the bench. He came in and hit those 3s,” junior guard Kenrich Williams said. “It kind of got us going.”
Williams had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Frogs (11-1), who are 9-0 at home this season.
Koch Bar had eight points and nine rebounds for Bradley (5-8), which has lost three in a row and five of six. Bar was one of three Braves who finished with eight points.
Before Parrish hit a 3 with 14:22 left in the first half to put TCU up 8-2, the two teams were a combined 3-of-14 shooting. After Parrish rebounded a Bradley miss, he made another 3-pointer. The senior guard followed with a personal foul, but the Braves missed both free throws and Parrish made yet another long-range shot to make it 14-2 at the 13:19 mark.
“Brandon gives us that sixth man off the bench, and it’s helping us a lot,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “He certainly broke it open.”
Bane also had three 3-pointers, and combined with Parrish to shoot 9-of-18 overall on a night when the Frogs overall shot just 38 percent (25 of 65) from the field.
BIG PICTURE
Bradley: Maybe the Braves were still out of whack after this trip that started with a long, unexpected 534-mile bus ride from Peoria, Illinois, to its previous game, a 17-point loss at Mississippi, after a canceled flight. Bradley didn’t have anybody score in double figures while being held to 51 points of less for the third straight game.
TCU: Despite the lopsided score, the Frogs are going to have to play more consistent and at a much higher level the rest of the season. They host Kansas for their Big 12 opener next time out. After a strong start under new coach Dixon, TCU is done with the preliminaries. The rest of their regular-season schedule includes their 18 Big 12 games, and a home date against Auburn in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
CHRISTMAS NIGHT HOOPS
After nine straight days of practice and games (two) since final exams, the Frogs are off until a practice scheduled for 5 p.m. Christmas Day. “Somehow we’ve got to have a good practice Christmas night, that’s a challenge but we’re going to have to do that,” Dixon said.
SOME OTHER CONTRIBUTORS
TCU senior Karviar Shepherd had nine points and eight rebounds, along with two steals in his 17 minutes. … Freshman point guard Jaylen Fisher — who had scored in double figures in all but two games this season, including the last six in a row — was scoreless after going 0-for-6 shooting (five of those 3-pointers), but did have seven assists for the Frogs. … TCU had a 46-34 rebounding edge, and held Bradley to 35 percent shooting (17 of 48) while forcing 18 turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Braves get a break for Christmas before opening Missouri Valley play Dec. 29 at home against Southern Illinois.
TCU gets an extended Christmas break before playing its Big 12 opener Dec. 30 at home against third-ranked Kansas. The Frogs have played the first three of five consecutive home games.