JaKobe Coles, defense lift TCU past Omaha

JaKobe Coles matched his career high with 21 points and TCU leveraged its size and length near the basket on the way to an 82-60 win over visiting Omaha on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Horned Frogs (2-0) led by 10 at halftime and by 22 after holding Omaha scoreless over the first five and a half minutes of the second half. TCU eventually led by as many as 27 points while outrebounding the Mavericks 52-25, forging a 50-18 edge in points in the paint and producing 23 second-chance points.

Emanuel Miller added 17 points for TCU, which won easily despite going 3 of 15 from beyond the arc. Jameer Nelson Jr. and Micah Peavy hit for 10 points each and Ernest Udeh Jr. grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

Thursday's contest was the second of a six-game homestand to begin the season for the Horned Frogs.

Frankie Fidler paced Omaha (1-1) with 20 points while Nick Davis scored 11 and Jaeden Marshall added 10 in the loss.

The Mavericks scored five of the game's first six points and led 5-1 after a 3-pointer by Fidler at the 18:47 mark. TCU responded with a 14-2 run over the ensuing six minutes as Coles had a basket and a 3-pointer and Essam Mostafa added a layup and a three-point play in that stretch that propels it to a 15-7 lead.

The teams traded baskets over the next eight minutes before the Horned Frogs pushed their lead to double digits for the first time on a jumper by Peavy with 4:20 to play in the first half. A three-point play by Fidler with 1:08 remaining cut TCU's advantage to eight points but Miller's layup with 31 seconds left granted the Horned Frogs a 43-33 lead at the break.

Coles led all players with 15 points before halftime while Fidler led Omaha with 13 points and Marshall added 10 for the Mavericks.

TCU began the second half with a 12-0 run capped by a layup by Miller with 15:02 to play. The Mavericks missed their first eight shots after halftime and had three turnovers in that pivotal stretch.