Daily Skiff

The first men's basketball home game since coaches and players asked Greek members to start showing up to games featured strong support from fraternities and sororities.

During the past two weeks, head coach Neil Dougherty, his assistant coaches and players attended fraternity and sorority meetings explaining how poor home-game attendance has been lately.

Fraternities and sororities listened and showed up in groups to support the Frogs as they played UNLV, which is tied for first in the Mountain West Conference. Game attendance was 300 more than the last home game.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon president Pete Chapman said having the players and coaches talk at the meeting really pumped up the chapter.

The SAE's did not make the game mandatory, but Chapman said the fraternity has done a good job supporting the basketball team all season.

Mary Lyddon, the chapter social chair for Kappa Alpha Theta, said her sorority had as many members attend as possible.

"We just really want to start supporting them," Lyddon said.

The Thetas usually have a weekly sisterhood activity on Thursday, but they moved it forward one day so the sorority could go to the game, chapter President Courtney Casey said.

To showcase that it was in fact Theta support, the sorority members at the game wore their TCU Theta shirts, Lyddon said.

They also made posters to cheer on the basketball players and the Showgirls, two of which are Thetas.

Dougherty's plea for fans has resonated among the students.

Chapman said he knows of many students who now plan on going to more home games.

"I've heard talk on campus of people getting psyched for the games," Chapman said.

Eric Campolo, Sigma Phi Epsilon vice president of brotherhood, said during the last chapter meeting Sunday that all members were encouraged to go to the game.

"We have a fraternity brother on the team, and the coach came to urge us to go," Campolo said.

The Frogs lost the game to the Rebels, the team's second home loss of the season, but at least people came.

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