National Basketball Association
Texas Christian 82, Bucknell 65
When: 10:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 23, 2018
Where: Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Officials:
# Darron George, # Keith Kimbell, # Bart Lennox
Attendance:
N/A
By Field Level Media
Junior guard Desmond Bane recorded 16 points and seven rebounds to help TCU post an 82-65 victory over Bucknell in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic at Honolulu on Sunday night.
Freshman center Kevin Samuel had 14 points and nine rebounds, and junior guard Jaylen Fisher made four 3-pointers while scoring 14 points for TCU (10-1).
Sophomore forward Kouat Noi added 13 points and seven rebounds, and senior forward JD Miller scored 12 points as the Horned Frogs won their seventh straight contest.
TCU senior point guard Alex Robinson registered 11 points and 11 assists for his fifth time in double digits for assists this season.
The Horned Frogs will face Indiana State in Tuesday's championship game.
Senior guard Kimbal Mackenzie scored 16 points for Bucknell (5-6). Senior post player Nate Sestina added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and senior guard Nate Jones hit all four 3-point attempts while scoring 12 points.
The Bison shot 37.7 percent from the field -- including 8 of 27 from 3-point range -- and committed 15 turnovers.
The Horned Frogs shot 44.6 percent from the field and were 9 of 28 from long range. TCU committed just nine turnovers and held a 38-31 rebounding edge.
The Bison crept within 66-58 on a layup by sophomore guard Jimmy Sotos with 9:17 remaining. But Bucknell went 5:15 without scoring as TCU went on a 9-0 surge.
Bane's driving layup capped the run as the Horned Frogs took a 75-58 advantage with 5:44 left and cruised to the finish.
TCU opened the second half with a 15-1 burst to open up a 59-42 lead.
Bane began the run with a 3-pointer and Samuel ended it with a basket for the 17-point margin with 15:21 left.
The Bison missed their first seven second-half field-goal attempts before junior forward Bruce Moore knocked down a jumper with 14:29 remaining.
A short time later, Jones drained consecutive 3-pointers during an 11-2 run as Bucknell climbed within 63-55 with 11:08 left.
Noi scored 10 first-half points, and the Horned Frogs closed the half with a 10-4 run to hold a 44-41 lead.
Noi buried a 3-pointer to cap a 14-2 surge as TCU took a 24-16 lead with 11:21 left.
The Bison later rattled off 10 straight points -- Sestina scored the first five -- to move ahead 37-34 with 2:53 remaining.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Bucknell |
|
Texas Christian |
|
Kimbal MacKenzie 16 |
Scoring |
Desmond Bane 16 |
|
Jimmy Sotos 4 |
Assists |
Alex Robinson 11 |
|
Nate Sestina 11 |
Rebounds |
Kevin Samuel 9 |
|
Kimbal MacKenzie 7 |
Free Throws Made |
JD Miller 6 |
|
Bruce Moore 1 |
Steals |
Alex Robinson 3 |
|
N/A |
Blocks |
N/A |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Bucknell
|
65 |
37.7 |
8-27 |
17-20 |
8 |
30 |
0 |
2 |
15 |
| Texas Christian
|
82 |
44.6 |
9-28 |
15-20 |
15 |
37 |
0 |
8 |
9 |
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