‘We didn’t know how to win’: K-State blows late lead in stunning Big 12 loss to TCU
The Kansas State men’s basketball team suffered its most painful loss of the season on Wednesday at Bramlage Coliseum.
And that’s saying something.
The Wildcats let a late lead slip away and lost 60-57 to TCU less than a minute after it seemed like they were in complete control. The Horned Frogs stunningly closed out the game by scoring eight unanswered points, including seven in the final 24 seconds.
“There’s not much I can say ... We had the game in hand,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “We just needed to make one play down the stretch.”
It never came. Another gut punch for a team that has now lost four straight games while possessing a second-half lead.
Four days after letting a 17-point advantage slip away at West Virginia, K-State (8-7, 0-4 Big 12) put on a clinic for anyone looking for instructions on how to blow a 57-52 lead with 1 minute, 48 seconds remaining in an important conference game. Up until that point, the Wildcats were making clutch plays and getting defensive stops. The home crowd was also behind them. For the first time all season, they appeared on their way to a league victory.
Then everything shifted in favor of the Horned Frogs (11-2, 1-1).
“We have got to be better at finishing the game,” K-State guard Markquis Nowell said after scoring 18 points and making seven steals. “We need to finish certain plays standpoint. The Big 12 is a good conference. Every game is like a tournament game, so you just have to stay poised and under control and finish basketball games.”
Despite trailing 57-53 when Mike Miles missed a three-pointer with 28 seconds showing on the clock, the Horned Frogs found a way to win. Their comeback began in earnest when Emanual Miller grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a layup with 24 seconds left.
Still, all K-State had to do was make a few free throws to close out the game. Or so it seemed.
TCU surged ahead when Nijel Pack was called for a travel with 17.8 seconds remaining while K-State was clinging to a 57-55 advantage. Instead of heading to the other end of the court for free throws, K-State turned the ball over. TCU responded with a clutch three-pointer from Damion Baugh with 11.3 seconds remaining that gave the Horned Frogs a 58-57 lead.
K-State was unable to convert on its next possession when Nowell got the ball to Davion Bradford inside. He had a good look near the rim but he couldn’t make the shot over his defender.
The Horned Frogs then made a pair of free throws to pull ahead by three and Nowell missed a heave at the buzzer to clinch victory for TCU.
“Give credit to TCU,” Weber said. “They made some big plays down the stretch. I just feel for our guys, because they really care and they try. They’ve been through a lot and we had our chances, but you have got to learn how to win and we didn’t know how to win today.”
The Wildcats didn’t lose this game on any one play.
Things could have easily been different for them had they made more than 11 free throws on 22 trips to the foul line. They will also regret a missed dunk from Selton Miguel and some ill advised shots from Bradford and Nowell earlier in the game.
Nowell led the Wildcats with 18 points. Miles paced TCU with 19. Another basket here or there could have changed the outcome.
That is something K-State players will surely ponder as they prepare for their next game against Texas Tech on Saturday at home.
“We missed free throws, then they got rebounds at the end,” K-State guard Mark Smith said after scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds. “It was just little mistakes. We work on that stuff in practice, being precise. That last minute, we just weren’t precise enough. We didn’t focus on the little things. It’s like coach always says. These conference games have a thin margin for error. We didn’t finish the game.”
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 10:32 PM with the headline "‘We didn’t know how to win’: K-State blows late lead in stunning Big 12 loss to TCU."