For the second straight game Kansas State came back from a double-digit third quarter deficit to secure a Big 12 road win with a 75-72 victory at TCU on Saturday evening at Schollmaier Arena. The win was the 550th of head coach Jeff Mittie’s career.
Kansas State has won four straight Big 12 road games for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The win ends a three-game losing streak for K-State against TCU.
With the game tied at 36 at halftime, TCU (18-8, 8-7 Big 12) started the third quarter with an 11-0 run and when combined with the end of the second quarter the Horned Frogs were on an 18-0 run to build a 47-36 lead with 7:11 remaining in the third frame.
K-State (17-10, 8-7) chipped away at the TCU lead with a 24-10 run to pull in front 58-57 heading to the fourth quarter. Kali Jones started the run with six straight points, while Peyton Williams then scored six points to aid the effort from Jones.
In the fourth quarter, the team traded the lead six times, but Jasauen Beard scored seven of K-State’s final 11 points including the game-winning layup with 53 seconds remaining. K-State’s defense held TCU without a made field goal for the final 3:48 of the game including a defensive stop on TCU’s final possession with eight seconds remaining.
Williams led four Wildcats in double figures with 18 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two assists. In the first quarter, Williams became the 42nd player in program history to surpass the 1,000-career point mark, knocking down a jumper with 4:53 remaining in the frame. She is the fourth player in program history with 1,000 or more career points, 500 or more career rebounds and 75 or more career blocks.
Beard joined Williams in double figures with 15 points, three assists and three steals. The redshirt
junior from Midwest City, Oklahoma, has scored 10 or more points in four straight games off the bench.
Also in double figures for the Wildcats was Kayla Goth with 12 points, seven assists, four steals and four rebounds. Goth converted the final two free throws of the game to give K-State a three-point lead with eight seconds to play.
Jones added 12 points, five rebounds, a block and a steal. This marked her second career Big 12 game with 10 or more points.
TCU was led by Jordan Moore with 27 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and three steals. Amy Okonkwo added 15 points.
Kansas State would build an eight-point lead, 22-14, late in the first quarter before a pair of free throws from TCU’s Moore with four-tenths of a second remaining narrowed the game to a 22-16 K-State lead after the first quarter. The Wildcats shot 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from the field in the opening quarter.
TCU closed to within three, 25-22, with 8:07 to play in the second quarter after an Okonkwo three-pointer. K-State rebuilt its lead to seven points twice including a 36-29 lead with 2:41 remaining after a Williams baseline jumper.
The Horned Frogs ended the quarter on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 36 at the break, as Kianna Ray hit a pair of 3-pointers during the rally.
K-State finished the night shooting 49.1 percent (28-of-57) and were 76.2 percent (16-of-21) from the free throw line. TCU ended the evening shooting 37.7 percent (20-of-53) and a 73.3 percent effort (22-of-30) from the foul line. K-State held a 33-32 edge on the boards and tallied a 40-20 advantage in points in the paint.
