Mike Miles Jr. scored 23 points in his return after missing two games with a foot injury to lead TCU to a 59-48 win over winless California on Friday in a semifinal game at the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla.
The Horned Frogs will face No. 25 Iowa, a 74-71 winner over Clemson earlier on Friday, in the tournament’s championship final on Saturday evening.
TCU led by just six points at halftime but quickly established a double-digit advantage early in the second half and never let California back in the game, winning by 11 despite shooting just 39.3 percent from the floor. The Horned Frogs were only 3 of 17 on their 3-pointers in the game and missed 11 free throws but also committed a season-low seven turnovers.
Micah Peavy added eight points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Horned Frogs (4-1).
Lars Thiemann and Devin Askew led California (0-6) with 12 points apiece. The Golden Bears’ winless start after six games is their worst ever beginning to a season.
The Golden Bears led through the early minutes of the game and by as many as four points before TCU leapfrogged to the front. Peavy’s jumper at the 16:19 mark put the Horned Frogs up 9-8 and TCU built its advantage to six points on a Miles layup with 2:16 remaining in the half and took a 27-21 lead at the break.
Both teams struggled from the floor in the first half, with TCU outshooting the Golden Bears 32.1 percent to 30.4 percent. The teams were a combined 3 of 17 from beyond the arc over the first 20 minutes, and the Horned Frogs missed eight of their 15 free throws.
Miles and Peavy paced the Horned Frogs with six points each, while Sam Alajiki had seven points to lead California.
TCU stoked its lead to 12 points early in the second half and by 14 after a Rondel Walker 3-pointer with 9:31 remaining. California never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media
