By Matt Stiver Assistant Campus Editor Fresno State forward Terrence Roberson nailed two of his seven three pointers in a 9-0 run that broke an 86-86 tie as the Bulldogs defeated the Frogs, 101-96, Thursday night at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Roberson, who played the final 12 minutes of the game with four fouls, scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half. With the loss, the Frogs fall to 10-10, and 1-3 in Western Athletic Conference play. Fresno State head coach Jerry Tarkanian stuck by his decision to leave Roberson in the game after he picked up his fourth foul. "If we had lost the game some folks would have said, 'Why leave him in with four fouls?,'" Tarkanian said. "But where would we have been? I feel I'd much rather have the lead than have (Roberson) foul out and be behind." The Frogs, who trailed by as many as 19 points in the second half, capped a 16-2 run when guard Ryan Carroll hit a 30-foot three pointer with three seconds on the shot clock with 3:26 to play in the game. Carroll led the Frogs with 27 points. As the Frogs congratulated Carroll at halfcourt, forward Myron Anthony was whistled for a technical foul. Referee Dick Paparo said Anthony "went into the Fresno State huddle and started screaming at the players." TCU players said Anthony did not go near the Fresno State bench and Tubbs said he did not see the alleged infraction. "All I have is hearsay," Tubbs said. "But I have yet to coach a game with (Paparo) in which a technical wasn't called. Did anybody see him pull Anthony out of the huddle?
After Fresno All-American guard Courtney Alexander nailed the two free throws, the Frogs cut the lead to 88-87 when guard Thomas McTyer made one of two free throws following a foul. The Bulldogs responded, scoring three three-pointers to extend their lead to 10 with 1:35 left. Tubbs said the game was indicative of the Frogs' season. "I'm disappointed in our learning process," Tubbs said. "We don't learn from our mistakes." The Frogs, who closed the first half on an 11-5 run to cut the Bulldogs' lead to five, came out flat in the second half. Fresno State opened the second half with a 17-3 run. Tubbs said the Frogs got themselves into trouble, and only then did they decide to play to their ability. "The game is a game of spurts," Tubbs said. "The advantage of getting out to a lead is that you have your spurt and you get control of the game. Then when the other team semi-catches up and closes the gap, then you'll have another little spurt. "We are letting the other team get control of the game and have that spurt," he said. "The only time we play hard or like we want to play is when we get in that hole. That's when we decide to fight. Up until that point, we are bunch of nice guys out there on the court." TCU responded to Fresno's run with a 13-0 spurt of their own, cutting the lead back down to six with 12:19 to play. Whenever the Frogs drew close, either Alexander or Roberson were there to put out the fire. Alexander, who scored eight points in the first half, scored 25 of his 33 in the second. The Frogs were led by forward Marquise Gainous with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Matt Stiver
By Rusty Simmons staff reporter Fresno State's Courtney Alexander, an All-American candidate shooting guard, stood at half court yelling, "Give me the money," as his teammate Terrence Roberson was taking one of his nine second-half three pointers. Roberson did the equivalent of giving Alexander money in basketball terms, as he made 67 percent of his shots from behind the arc in the final period. "The shots were there, and TCU didn't make an effort to stop me from spotting up in the corner," Roberson said. "So I just kept shooting it." And Roberson kept making it as well. He made three consecutive long-range shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half to help Fresno State beat TCU 101-96 Thursday night in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. After Roberson's shooting efforts in the early minutes of the second half, TCU players tried to answer by shooting three pointers of their own. Freshman forward Bingo Merriex, junior guard Ryan Carroll and junior guard Thomas McTyer made consecutive three pointers to cut the once 19-point lead to three points. Fresno State head coach Jerry Tarkanian said a switch in defenses allowed TCU's comeback. "We switched to the zone defense, and they shot the lights out," he said. TCU's attempt to gain the lead late in the game was foiled by Roberson's three-point accuracy again. He hit two more three pointers with under four minutes left in the game to extend the Fresno State lead to 10 points. The Frogs tried to match Roberson's production from behind the arc, but they could not connect on forced shots down the stretch. Carroll, who finished with a team-high 27 points, shot just 38 percent on three-point attempts. He was shooting a team-best 43 percent coming into the contest. Merriex made his first two three-point attempts but connected on only one of six shots the rest of the game as he tried to get shots off over Fresno State defenders. TCU head coach Billy Tubbs said forcing hurried shots has hurt the Frogs in the past, and it hurt them again Thursday. "We're just not making plays," he said. "Quick shots and quick turnovers are what gets us in trouble." Tubbs also said the Frogs' transition defense has left something to be desired. Fresno State's Demetrius Porter was able to get the ball to open teammates behind the three-point arc in transition throughout the game to add eight assists to his 23 points.
Rusty Simmons
Danny Horne staff reporter The TCU men's tennis team will be in Houston this weekend participating in the Metropolitan Racquet Club/Rice University Indoor tennis tournament. This weekend's tournament will be the last tune-up for the Horned Frogs, who open dual-match play Jan. 29 and 30 in Albuquerque, N.M. against 31st-ranked University of New Mexico and Florida State. Head men's tennis coach Michael Center said this weekend will be a chance to get everyone in shape. "No one is playing at their best right now," Center said. "This weekend should be a good opportunity for everyone to sharpen up for duals."
Four players enter the spring season ranked in singles play. Junior Esteban Carrill will start at No. 28 and junior Trace Fielding at No. 34. Junior Petr Koula received his first ranking ever at No. 39 while junior Martin Jirak received his first singles ranking at No. 68. Center said he has high expectations for this year because of the talent on the team. "We definitely hope to win conference," Center said. "On top of that we want to be the best team in Texas and finish in the top five in the country." Center said nothing should keep this team from being a top-five or top-10 team by the end of the season. The journey to the top starts this weekend against 17th-ranked Texas A&M, 30th-ranked South Florida, 42nd-ranked University of Lousiana-Lafayette, 67th-ranked UT-Arlington and tournament host Rice University.
Danny Horne
By Rusty Simmons staff reporter When TCU Athletics Director Eric Hyman hired Dennis Franchione as the head football coach in the Fall 1997, Hyman said Franchione brought three characteristics to the program - intelligence, work ethic and integrity. "I believe that in Dennis Franchione we have found all three and that makes him a perfect match for TCU," Hyman said at the press conference to announce Franchione's hiring.
"We've taken steps toward building tradition," he said. "TCU had great tradition in the '30s, '40s and '50s. They had a national champion and a Heisman Trophy winner." These achievements were accrued during the years when Davey O'Brien, 1938, and Sammy Baugh, 1937, were throwing touchdown passes for national championship victories; Jim Swink, 1955, always found a hole to run through and Bob Lilly, 1961, made opponents think twice about running his direction. After a recess of players of that caliber, Franchione said he believes the current team can create such memories. "We have the ability to build up to that, but I don't know how long it takes - five, 10 or 20 years." Although Franchione said he is unaware of the exact time span for building tradition, he does know the steps necessary to develop it. "We've got to continue to win," he said. "Seldom is there a large crowd for a bad team. During the bad times in this program, teams didn't follow up good seasons with winning seasons. If we can continue to win, people will be more apt to become emotionally involved with the team." Along with winning football games, Franchione said he is making a conscious effort to excite the people of Fort Worth about the team. Franchione has made appearances in downtown Fort Worth to sign posters and has advocated trips for his team to Cook's Children Hospital. "We want to reach out to the community and show the people that this is Fort Worth's team," he said. TCU has not had a crowd of over 40,000 people at Amon Carter Stadium since 1994, and has not had a Homecoming crowd of over 29,000 in the 1990s. But Franchione said it should not be difficult to excite the community about the upcoming season. TCU returns the entire starting offensive line, all of the running backs, the starting quarterback and the nucleus of the defense. Among the players returning are freshman All-American quarterback Casey Printers, the nation's leading rusher LaDainian Tomlinson and the Mobile Bowl's Most Valuable Lineman Aaron Schobel. "I'm fired up!" Franchione said. "We'll have a lot of offensive growth with the ability to vertically stretch the field. Casey's ability to pass will make it difficult to gang up on L.T. (Tomlinson)." With only one season to play before joining Conference USA, Franchione said this season is important for the Frogs to continue to prepare for the switch from the Western Athletic Conference. "All we can do is try to make sure we're ready for the transition," he said. "I think our win over East Carolina, who was No. 2 in C-USA and 9-2, sent a message of some sort." The coaches of the WAC sent a message at the end of last season to TCU as well. Of the 26 players on the All-WAC first team, the WAC coaches voted for only three TCU players. Hawaii and Fresno State, who shared the WAC championship with TCU, each had six players voted to the team. But Franchione said although he was disappointed about the situation, he doesn't get caught up in the politics. "I'd like to think we're all professionals," he said. "We have to keep in mind that our regards are for the players. Petty thoughts can't be given much credence."
Rusty Simmons
By Kristen Naquin staff reporter Although there is some disagreement about whether any records will be broken at Saturday's season-opening Oklahoma Indoor Classic in Norman, both runners and coaches agree: The athletes - and season - promise to leap out of the starting blocks with a strong beginning. "We don't expect to come out and break any world records, but it's just an icebreaker," said Jason Howard, a high and triple jumper. "We're just getting started There is a lot of talent on the team. "
However, referring to returning All-Americans Jason Howard and Ricardo "Flash" Williams, Stratton said he would like to see runners begin to qualify nationally in events in which they are capable of doing so. He said he is expecting the "deep and talented" men's team to win the conference meet and described the 60-, 200- and 400-meter dashes, long jump and 4x400 relay as particularly strong events. While Stratton said he is also expecting strong performances from other returning men and several new men, he is slightly concerned about the high number of new women runners. "We have a lot of (women) newcomers, so we are extremely young," he said. "But hopefully, we are not naive. We will experience rapid progress as they learn what happens at the collegiate level." However, Stratton said he is continuing to expect strong performances from distance runner Glady's Keitany and sprinter Dywana Crudup. The addition of new jumpers has also given the team a new depth, Stratton said. The new Lowdon Track and Field Complex has allowed athletic administrators to add three coaches. "(The new facility) provides a great place to practice," he said. "(The track and field program) is not as narrow as it has been in the past." Howard said the addition of numerous jumpers has significantly contributed to an already-talented team. "We are a pretty strong team compared to last year," said Howard, a junior computer information systems major. "We have a lot more depth this year, numerous jumpers and sprinters. Overall, there is a lot of talent. We had a lot last year, but we have even more this year."
Kristen Naquin |
"The point is, with what was happening on the floor,
you've got to let the players decide the game on the court. If that doesn't
happen, I don't know if we win, but it put us in a hole," Tubbs said.
The Frogs will enter this weekend and dual-match play ranked
No. 16 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association after receiving 2,126
votes, he said.
Now, with back-to-back winning seasons and consecutive postseason
victories under his belt, Franchione said he is looking to bring even more
to the TCU football program.
Head coach Monte Stratton said he expects the team to improve
each week as it approaches the Western Athletic Conference meet. Performance
will peak at the conference meet and continue to improve toward the national
qualifier, he said.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |