K-State loses heartbreaker to TCU, 75-72

From K-State Athletics

MANHATTAN, Kan. – A 3-pointer by senior Jameer Nelson Jr. with 1.1 seconds on the clock proved to be the game winner, as TCU held on for a 75-72 win over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon before 9,609 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.

K-State (15-10, 5-7 Big 12) battled back from a 10-point deficit with 7:14 to play to tie the game at 72-all on a pair of free throws by junior Cam Carter with 15.6 seconds. However, after a full timeout by head coach Jerome Tang to set up his defense, it was TCU which had the final answer as Nelson’s step back 3-ponter rose above the outstretched hands of Carter for the game-winner with 1.1 seconds remaining.

It was the Wildcats’ first buzzer beater loss since February 19, 2022, when Oklahoma State’s Avery Anderson III connected on a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left in overtime for an 82-79 victory at the Gallagher-Iba Arena. It was the first such loss at home since Kevin Samuel’s layup with 1 second left lifted TCU to a 59-57 win on January 7, 2020.

The loss sank K-State to its sixth setback in the last 7 games, including the second in the last 3 games at Bramlage Coliseum. TCU (18-7, 7-5 Big 12) continued its good fortune in Manhattan, winning for the fourth time in the last 5 visits to Bramlage Coliseum.

Senior Tylor Perry led the Wildcats with 24 points, including an impressive 12-of-12 effort from the free throw line. It was his 27th career 20-point game, including his team-leading eighth this season. He was joined in double figures by senior David N’Guessan (12 points) and junior Arthur Kaluma (11 points).

TCU was led by a game-high 26 points from senior Micah Peavy, who had one of the more impressive stat lines you will ever see. In addition to going 8-of-16 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line, he had a game-high 9 rebounds to go with team-highs in both steals (3) and blocked shots (3) in 33 minutes. He was joined in double figures by senior Emanuel Miller, who added 10 points.

The loss was particularly heartbreaking because K-State made 66.7 percent (22-of-33) of its 2-point field goals, including tying a Big 12-best with 44 points in the paint, and were nearly perfect from the free throw line (25-of-29) but couldn’t get anything to fall beyond the 3-point arc, where the Wildcats finished 1-of-15, including 0-of-7 in the second half.

The 6.7 3-point field goal percentage (1-of-15) marked the 10th-lowest in school history and the lowest since 2016, while the 1 3-point make tied for the seventh fewest in school history and the fewest since also hitting one against Kennesaw State on November 9, 2018.

Overall, K-State finished the day at 47.9 percent (23-of-48) from the field.

TCU rebounded from a poor first-half shooting the ball (29.6 percent/8-of-27) to connect on 56.2 percent (16-of-29) of its field goals in the second half, including 62.5 percent (5-of-6) from 3-point range. The Horned Frogs also made the most of their length in the paint, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds and turning those into a 20-8 advantage in second-chance points.

K-State enjoyed a strong start to the game, leading by as many as 10 points in the first half before posting its first halftime lead (28-24) in more than a month.

The second half saw a back and forth affair with the teams combining for 95 points. After TCU regained the lead with consecutive 3-pointers early in the second half, K-State responded with a 17-7 run that gave the Wildcats a 47-39 lead with 13:13 to play and forced a timeout by head coach Jamie Dixon.

The timeout sparked the Horned Frogs, which scored 22 of the next 26 points to take 61-51 lead with 7:14 to play. The Wildcats were able to slowly chip away at the lead, using a 10-2 run to close to within a possession at 63-61 right before the final media timeout.

K-State was able to take advantage of some missed free throws by TCU down the stretch, getting some big free throws from Kaluma, who made all 3 free throws after being fouled. After Perry made a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 72-70, the Horned Frogs made an errant pass on the inbounds play, giving the Wildcats the ball with 15.6 seconds. Junior Cam Carter was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and calmly made before free throws to tie the game at 72-all and set up the final sequence.

This will be the first and only regular season meeting between the schools with the new unbalanced Big 12 schedule. The schools had met home-and-home every year since 2012-13.

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