FORT WORTH, Texas – Lamar University junior Rob Lee, Jr. scored 26 points and helped the Cardinals build a second-half lead, but TCU mounted a late comeback to defeat the Cardinals, 78-65, Monday evening at Schollmaier Arena.
 
The Cardinals shot 25-of-60 (.417) from the field, including seven three-pointers, but TCU ended the night 25-of-53 (.509) from the field. The Horned Frogs finished the game with eight threes, an area where they had struggled in their first two games of the season.
 
TCU led the battle on the boards outrebounding the Cardinals, 36-28, including 13 offensive rebounds which led to an eight-point advantage in second chance points.
 
The Cardinals only turned the ball over nine times on the night and forced TCU into 13 but Big Red could only manage a one-point advantage in points off turnovers.
 
Lee was joined in double figures by sophomore Jayden Barrs (14 points) but 12 of those came in the first half.
 
TCU opened the game on a 10-2 run converting its first four attempts including three triples, but the Cardinals would settle down and get back into the game. Lamar answered TCU's opening salvo with a 14-2 run sparked by two Jayden Barrs' three-pointers to claim a three-point lead with 11:37 remaining in the half.
 
In addition to his makes from long range, Barrs gave the Cardinals their first lead of the night on a layup with 12:25 remaining. The Cardinals knocked down 9-of-18 attempts during that stretch and held the lead until the 2:25 mark before TCU made a small run to reclaim the advantage. The Horned Frogs took a one-point lead into the locker room, 39-38.
 
The Cardinals outshot their hosts in the opening 20 minutes converting 16-of-31 (52 percent) attempts, but the difference was TCU knocked down one more three-pointer than Big Red. The Horned Frogs were 13-of-28 (46 percent) from the field with five first-half three-pointers.
 
TCU held the lead on the glass, 18-13, at the break and doubled the Cardinals up in terms of offensive rebounds but Lamar made up the difference in turnovers. LU turned the ball over just five times in the opening 20 minutes while the Horned Frogs turned it over nine times which Lamar converted into 13 points.
 
Both Lee (15 points) and Barrs hit double figures before halftime.
 
Trailing by one, Lamar claimed its biggest lead of the night when Lee struck for consecutive threes – within a 26-second stretch – to give Lamar a five-point advantage with 16:50 remaining and force TCU to call a timeout.
 
The lead was three for Lamar when the Horned Frogs found their rhythm rattling off a 15-3 run to build a nine-point lead. TCU managed to take an 11-point lead with just under four minutes remaining and Lamar was never able to get the deficit back down to single digits.
 
The Cardinals return to action Monday, Nov. 17^th, when they travel to Monroe, La., to take on the UL Monroe Warhawks. The game against ULM is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start.