Emanuel Miller totaled 21 points and seven rebounds and Mike Miles scored 18 to lead No. 20 TCU to an eighth straight victory, 75-71 over Utah on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.
JaKobe Coles scored all six of his points in the final two minutes, helping to clinch the win for TCU (10-1) by going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line as the Utes attempted to close the gap.
Utah’s Gabe Madsen led all scorers with 26 points, hitting seven 3-pointers in the loss on the neutral court. Madsen sank two treys in the final minute and made a steal to keep the Utes (9-4) within striking distance.
Marco Anthony scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Branden Carlson contributed 14 points and eight boards for the Utes. Utah finished its nonconference schedule before the resumption of Pac-12 play with a second loss in a row.
The Horned Frogs led by double digits on multiple occasions, but the Utes were relentless in their efforts to keep it close.
Early in the second half, the Utes stormed back into the game with a 7-0 run, featuring second-chance layups by Carlson and Anthony and a Madsen 3-pointer. Utah then caught up to TCU at 46-all on two Carlson free throws with 12:46 to go.
TCU responded with two baskets in a row, only to have the game knotted up again after Madsen drained his fifth trey.
Miller and Miles gave TCU a four-point lead with consecutive buckets sandwiched around a blocked shot by Xavier Cork. Carlson banked in a 3-pointer to again make it a one-point game, but TCU responded with eight straight points for a 68-59 lead with 3:56 remaining.
Utah got back within 68-63 before it began to foul Coles, but the closest the Utes got in the closing minutes was the final four-point margin.
Chuck O’Bannon added 10 points and Eddie Lampkin hauled in 10 boards to help TCU.
–Field Level Media