Feb. 2, 2008

Final Stats

Fort Worth, Texas - The Air Force Academy held the TCU men's basketball program to a combined 31.5 percent from the field - including 24.1 percent from behind the three-point arc - en route to securing a 56-46 victory over the Horned Frogs at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Saturday (Feb. 2).

The Falcons connected on 55.3 percent (21-of-38) of their field goal attempts - including 58.8 percent (10-of-17) in the second half of action - to improve their record to 12-8 on the 2007-08 campaign and 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference.

The Frogs struggled from the field early in the game, but were able to take a one-point advantage at 11-10 at the 9:23 mark after Kevin Langford (Fort Worth, Texas/North Crowley H.S.) converted on a lay-in and free throw. However - Tim Anderson proved to be a thorn in the side of the Purple and White as the AFA guard proceeded to connect on the second of his four three-pointers to give the Falcons a 13-11 lead.

Anderson finished the game with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go along with three rebounds, two blocked shots, two steals and one assist in 39 minutes of action.

Following Anderson's three-pointer, the Falcons never looked back as they held off the struggling Frog shooters while connecting on a series of three-pointers to go along with under-the-basket lay-ins. The Air Force Academy was able to score seven of the final eight points of the first half to take an eight-point advantage at 28-20 heading into intermission.

In the second half of action, the Frogs battled to get within one point at 41-40 with 8:30 remaining in the game following a lay-in by John Ortiz (Cali, Colombia/Colby C.C.). However - the Falcons were quickly able to recover and begin an 11-2 run over the next five minutes, which were highlighted by a pair of treys by Anderson and one from Keith Maren.

After increasing their lead to 10 points at 52-42, the Falcons were able to hold off an attempts for the Frogs to get within striking distance as the Air Force Academy escaped the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum with a 56-46 victory.

Langford posted his 18th consecutive double-digit scoring performance as the TCU forward finished with 11 points to go along with four rebounds in 29 minutes of action.

Keion Mitchem (Rochester, N.Y./Rochester East H.S.) started his first collegiate game and collected 10 points - including a trio of three-pointers - to go along with two rebounds and one steal in a career-high 26 minutes of action.

The Frogs dropped their record to 11-9 on the 2007-08 campaign - including 3-4 in the Mountain West Conference.

The Purple and White will be back in action on Wednesday (Feb. 6) when the Frogs travel to Provo, Utah, for a match-up against the leaders of the Mountain West Conference BYU. Game time is slated for 8:00 p.m. Central Time.

Quotes from the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum

TCU head men's basketball coach Neil Dougherty on the Frogs' missed opportunities
"Even with our missed shots tonight, we got the score back to within one point then they hit a big shot, but we were still right there. It's a two-possession game, and we just needed to get a shot to go in. We had a lot of opportunities tonight to take the lead and take control of the game, but we weren't able to grab hold of it."

Dougherty on the Frogs' 29 three-pointers against the Falcons
"We've got to make more, and that's obvious. We really don't want to shoot that many three-pointers, but what was happening a lot of times was that we were trying to throw the ball inside, and they were collapsing. In that situation, you're going to have a lot of three's because you're going to kick the ball out, but we need to make them."

Dougherty on TCU trying to get the ball inside
"It's one of those things where it's a match-up and combination. When you kick it out, you're not going to just be able to repost. We did get it in there a couple of times late, but it's a hard thing to do against that type of zone. If you're shooting the ball well then it allows you to et the ball in there, but we didn't shoot very well tonight."

Kevin Langford on Air Force's defense
"It's very hard, and we just need to have more patience tonight. We rushed too many shots and got frustrated when they weren't going in. At times, we needed to just continue to move the ball and be patient enough for the right shot."

John Ortiz on the setback to the Air Force Academy
"It's a little frustrating because we almost got the lead then they came back with a big shot. It was a really hard, physical game, and we couldn't get it in the end. What we have to do is keep working and try to get the next one on the road."

The Go Frog Five (Notes from the DMC)
- Kevin Langford increased his Mountain West Conference lead to 18 consecutive double-digit scoring performances following an 11-point evening against the Falcons.

- The 102 points scored in the game at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum were the fewest points scored in a TCU game since Oklahoma defeated the Frogs by a 63-35 margin on December 2, 2006.

- The Air Force Academy has held the Frogs to 50 or less points in four of five meetings in Mountain West Conference action. The Purple and White has been held to less than 50 points five times in the last 462 games versus other opponents.

- The Frogs entered the contest ranked sixth in the nation in steals per game with an average of 10.24 steals per contest. The Frogs notched nine steals against the Falcons - eight of which came in the first half of action.

- The Frogs forced the Air Force Academy to commit 17 turnovers in the game - which is the most by the Falcons in their last seven games.

TCU Athletic Media Relations