Micah Robinson (5) and his TCU teammates got to the rim a lot against the Gators Thursday.
SAN DIEGO – Through Florida’s first five games, much of the outside focus centered on the Gators’ perimeter shooting struggles. Coach Todd Golden, however, had also raised concerns about ball security.
Those concerns were exposed Thursday against one of the nation’s most aggressive defenses, as Texas Christian forced 19 turnovers and converted many of them into points, handing 10th-ranked UF a tough 84-80 loss in the opening round of the Rady Children's Invitational at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
"I thought we did a horrendous job taking care of the basketball," Gators coach Todd Golden said.
Compounding the turnover issues, Golden and his staff now have less than 24 hours to regroup before facing Providence (4-3) — a 104-83 loser to Wisconsin — in Friday’s consolation game. Florida’s defense will need tightening after allowing the Horned Frogs to shoot 58% in the second half, including a blistering 15-for-20 from inside the arc, which erased a 10-point UF lead.
TCU point guard Brock Harding collected five of his team’s 12 steals and delivered far beyond his averages. The Iowa transfer, who entered with 7.0 points and 5.2 assists per game, finished with 19 points (just shy of his career high) and 12 assists, orchestrating the halfcourt offense with ease. Forward David Punch added 19 points and nine rebounds, hitting seven of nine shots and five of six free throws, while forward Jace Posey came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points, going 6-for-8 from the field and 9-for-11 at the line, all at the rim.
The Horned Frogs (4-2), committing only nine turnovers themselves, outscored the larger Gators 44-34 in the paint and 23-13 in transition, with 22 points coming directly off takeaways. Four of UF’s five starters had at least three turnovers; two had four, and junior forward Thomas Haugh (20 points, 5 rebounds) posted a career-high five.
"They have a show defense that we do not see a lot. We had not seen it this year, so it's a little different," said UF junior guard Urban Klavzar, who came off the bench to notch a career-high 20 points, shooting 4-for-7 from deep and a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. "I thought we prepared well for the game, but you have to be tough with the ball, the way they're in the passing lanes. I feel like we just weren't focused enough, especially in the second half. Those turnovers lead into transition and they're a really good transition team."
Klavzar also noted that UF had 78 possessions, with 19 ending in turnovers — nearly 25%.
"So ... not good," he said. "If we get more shots up, we make some and the game is different."
Reserve guard Urban Klavzar (7) had it going from the 3-point line on his way to a career-high 20 points.
The first half turned into an officials’ showcase, with 26 fouls whistled and 37 free throws attempted. UF carried a 44-39 advantage into halftime and quickly extended it with a seven-point burst to make it 53-43 with 15 minutes remaining.
Less than a minute later, however, a pair of turnovers cut the margin to four. When Jace Posey scored in transition and was fouled following another turnover — marking the Frogs’ fifth straight made field goal — his traditional three-point play trimmed the lead to 57-56. TCU then grabbed its first lead since the six-minute mark of the opening half on a turnaround jumper in the paint by Jayden Pierre, just as the shot clock expired, putting them ahead 60-59 with 10 minutes left.
"We played well enough at points to get ourselves a 10-point lead with 15 minutes to go, even without playing that well, to be honest. But we were valuing the ball and making good decisions," Golden said. "The last 15 minutes of the game, we did a terrible job that way, and I thought our defense was really poor."
The lead changed hands four times over the next five minutes, the last swing coming when Urban Klavzar drilled a 3-pointer to ignite a seven-point run that pushed the Gators ahead 74-68 with just over five minutes left.
That’s when TCU responded with a decisive 9-0 run, capped by two baskets following consecutive turnovers from Thomas Haugh. The Frogs surged ahead 77-74, but UF evened the score at 77 on a driving layup by sophomore point guard Boogie Fland (12 points, 4 turnovers, 3 steals).
TCU's Jace Posey (00) throws down two of his game-high 21 points.
With 50 seconds remaining, Brock Harding found space in the paint and sank a five-foot jumper to put TCU ahead. On the ensuing possession, UF junior forward Alex Condon (8 points, 8 rebounds, career-high 8 assists) missed a late-clock 3-point attempt, and Harding sealed the outcome by hitting four of six free throws — two coming after a flagrant foul on Rueben Chinyelu — to close out the game.
The victory marked Texas Christian’s first win over a non-conference opponent ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 since defeating No. 6 Oklahoma on Dec. 27, 1986.
"We've got to understand that for us to be our best, we've got to be a gritty, hard-nosed, tough team," Golden said. "It's got to be who we are, and if we're unwilling to execute those things it's going to be a tough year. It's going to be up and down, depending on how we shoot the ball, and that so far has obviously been an issue for us."
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.
