K-State women’s basketball’s magical run ends in Big 12 Tournament loss to TCU
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- K-State’s 12th-seed run ended with a 74-62 loss to top-seed TCU.
- TCU pulled away in second half with late 3s to secure Sunday championship berth.
- Freshman Jordan Speiser finished tournament 16-for-33 from 3-point range.
With a hard-fought loss to top-seed TCU, Kansas State’s amazing run in the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament came to a close.
The Horned Frogs, 29-4, pulled away in the second half for a 74-62 victory and will meet West Virginia in Sunday’s championship game at T-Mobile Center.
The 12th-seeded Wildcats, 18-17, were bidding to become the ultimate Cinderella story by reaching their fifth game in five days.
In its previous two contests, Kansas State had defeated fourth-seeded Oklahoma State and fifth-seeded Texas Tech in comeback fashion. The Frogs made enough big shots in the final minutes to prevent another upset.
“It was a good week,” Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie said. “If it was a great week we’d be playing tomorrow.”
A key sequence: With about 3 1/2 minutes remaining, K-State’s Nastja Claessens missed a layup on one end, and TCU’s Donovyn Hunter’s buried a corner 3-pointer, a five-point swing that increased the Frogs’ lead to eight. Olivia Miles followed with another triple and TCU had its first double-digit lead.
Early on, Kansas State’s defense kept it close. The Wildcats came up with five steals in the game’s first five minutes. They missed their first seven 3-point attempts, but knocked in seven of their next 11 to keep things close until the final minutes.
Freshman Jordan Speiser, who’s 3-point shooting became a big part of the Wildcats’ run, hit three more Saturday among her 16 points and finished the tournament 16-for-33 from beyond the arc.
As for postseason play, the possibility increased for Kansas State with this week’s results. The Wildcats likely needed a victory Saturday for their NCAA Tournament hopes, but the 32-team Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament, with semifinal and championship rounds in Wichita, could be in play.
“I felt like if we could play good basketball, get a couple of wins, it would put us in position,” Mittie said. “I hope we’re playing in the postseason.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2026 at 5:02 PM.