FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Emanuel Miller had 16 points despite missing pregame shootaround with flu-like symptoms and JaKobe Coles scored 15 as 15th-ranked TCU rebounded from a bad home loss by overwhelming Louisiana-Monroe 95-60 on Thursday night.
“A lot more talented than us and playing on their A-game,” Louisiana-Monroe coach Keith Richard said. “They didn’t play this well the other night. ... I saw the worst of them on film and the best of them here live.”
The Frogs (3-1) scored the game's first five points and never trailed three nights after a 64-63 home loss to Northwestern State, another Louisiana squad.
Things got a bit testy at the end of the first half, after Frogs forward Chuck O’Bannon was ejected because of a flagrant foul.
O’Bannon had his elbow near the neck of Savion Gallion when the Warhawks guard was shoved to the floor and his head hit the knee of another TCU player in the final second of the first half. O’Bannon was ejected and Gallion made the second of his free throw attempts for a 53-26 halftime score, but his coach held him out the second half.
As the teams exited the court through the single tunnel, coaches had to get between the teams and referees blew whistles to restore order after some jawing between some of the players.
Tyreke Locure had 14 points for the Warhawks (2-2).
Micah Peavy added 12 points for TCU and O’Bannon had 11 in the first half.
Shahada Wells made a 3-pointer and a layup in the opening minute of the game for TCU, both on assists from Rondell Walker. The Frogs had a 10-point lead before the first media timeout, and led 34-14 on a layup by Coles midway through the first half.
“Excited about how the ball moved early on ... we got some transition. We saw the shots go down early, which we haven’t done that in a while,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. "I think it just got everything going for us.”