Six in double figures as Frogs win exhibition game 104-77
In its first action of the season, the men’s basketball team defeated Slovakia-Select in an exhibition contest at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
By Danny Gillham
Sports Editor

It was the first chance for Frog fans to see first-year men’s basketball coach Neil Dougherty, and his team did not sour his welcome, beating Slovakia-Select 104-77 Wednesday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

While the crowd size may not be what Dougherty was accustomed to in Lawrence, Kan., it was still a modest turnout considering the game was an exhibition.

Those who came saw an aggressive team that showed the early efforts Dougherty has made in emphasizing defense, a word that hasn’t been associated with TCU men’s basketball team in the past.

The Frogs held the Slovakians to 27 shot attempts and caused 15 turnovers. While Dougherty said he was pleased with the teams efforts, there is still work to do.

“The conditioning is still not quite where it could be, because we left the basket unprotected a few times,” Dougherty said. “But what they’re learning right now is what they’re capable of doing in the future.”

The Slovakians kept the game close for the majority of the first half, but a late 6-0 run by the Frogs, in which all six points came from true freshman Chudi Chinweze, closed out the half to give TCU a 52-43 halftime lead.

The Frogs came out in the second half and scored 27 points in the first eight minutes, compared to Slovakia-Select’s four, and would never be threatened during the remainder of the game.

Chinweze and senior Jamal Brown led the team in scoring with 16 points each, as TCU had six players in double figures for the night.

Seniors Bingo Merriex and Junior Blount tossed in 15 points each and sophomore Corey Santee added 14. Sophomore Marcus Sloan also had 10 points.

Chinweze, the lone player from TCU’s recruiting class, made the biggest splash. The 6-6 forward put down three dunks that had the crowd on its feet, and led the team in rebounds with eight.

“It was really exciting,” Chinweze said. “It was my first game here, and everybody’s adrenaline was up. It was cool.”

Dougherty said the team will have today off and will get back to work Friday on improving from Wednesday’s performance.

“It was our first time out against someone else and we wanted to see how hard we could go,” Dougherty said. “I think we got an idea of where we are.”

Danny Gillham