The TCU women’s and men’s basketball team won the first game of each’s Australian tour Tuesday night. The women cruised past the Hornsby Spiders, 80-46, while the men doubled the score of the Savannah Pride 108-54.
The Women:
The Horned Frogs and Spiders squared off in front of a capacity crowd inside Kevin Betts Stadium, approximately 30 miles west of Sydney.
TCU took control on the strength of a 27-point second quarter, including a 16-2 run to close the period, which gave them a 24-point cushion, 46-22, at halftime. TCU’s defense swarmed the Spiders, limiting Hornsby to 25 percent (14-of-57) shooting, including 2-of-21 from deep.
Junior forward Amy Okonkwo led the team in scoring with a game-high 15 points. Two other Horned Frogs hit double-digits in scoring as senior guard Toree Thompson added 11, while junior forward Dakota Vann added in 10. Junior center Jordan Moore grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots to go along with six points. All 13 TCU players scored in the contest.
The Horned Frogs will continue sightseeing the Sydney area on Wednesday before returning to the court on Thursday night. TCU will take on the Australian Institute of Sport’s Centre of Excellence at 6 p.m. AES/3 a.m. CST at the Minto Indoor Sport Centre.
The Men:
The Horned Frogs picked up right where they left off last season in Australia, doubling the score of the Savannah Pride 108-54 in Mount Druitt, similar to their blowout victory in the NIT championship game.
Senior guard Kenrich Williams, who finished as last season’s Big 12 leader in double-doubles, had another one against the Pride and finished three assists away from a triple-double, totaling 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
TCU out-rebounded Savannah 49-32, had 31 assists, and took better care of the basketball, turning it over only eight times while the Pride lost the ball 24 times.
The Horned Frogs pulled away from the Pride early leading 57-25 by the half.
Senior forward Vladimir Brodziansky scored a game-high 22 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 10-of-12 from the free throw line.
Sophomore guard Desmond Bane was not effected by a wrist injury that plagued him in the offseason. He put together a complete performance with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and junior guard Alex Robinson had a game-high 10 assists to go with eight points.
As a team, TCU outshot Savannah from the field, 49 percent (39-of-79) to 27 percent (19-of-71). The Frogs were 9-of-26 (35 percent) from 3-point range with seven different players connecting from deep. All 11 TCU players that made the trip to Australia saw action in the game.
The Savannah Pride is from about an hour outside of Sydney, and the roster is comprised of players of South Sudanese decent. Most of the team grew up playing alongside TCU’s Kouat Noi, a native of Newcastle, Australia. Noi, played in front of his family, including his mother and father, and he scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Kouat Noi and his proud father. #FrogsDownUnder ? pic.twitter.com/ct7EfR5Dte
— TCU Basketball (@TCUBasketball) August 8, 2017
“It’s a blessing,” said Noi, whose mother got to see him play basketball for the first time in six years. “I haven’t been home in a while. Just to have this crowd and some of the kids looking up to me, it’s humbling.”
Who is more happy to play this game than Aussie native Kouat Noi? His Mom hasn’t seen him play in 6 years. #FrogsDownUnder ? pic.twitter.com/LSIzN03jU6
— TCU Basketball (@TCUBasketball) August 8, 2017
The crowd inside Kevin Betts Stadium exploded early in the third quarter when Noi slammed a humongous one-handed dunk. He gave the Frogs a 67-27 lead.
It was the Horned Frogs first of five exhibition games during their 12-day foreign tour of Australia.
The men are back in action Thursday at 8 PM AES/5 AM CT against COE at Minto Indoor Sports Centre.
