clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Kansas State edges TCU 66-64 in OT to advance in the Big 12 Tournament

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Wildcats came out on top in the end.

By JT VanGilder
NCAA Basketball: Big 12 Conference Tournament-Kansas State v Texas Christian Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports

Barry Brown Jr. only had 11 points today, but his last two were by far the most important, as his layup with 11 seconds left in the overtime period were enough to put the Kansas State Wildcats ahead and secure the 66-64 victory over the TCU Horned Frogs.

It was tight game throughout, and neither team could ever take command and pull away. A 30-30 tie at halftime, after a Xavier Sneed buzzer beater pulled K-State even, led to a 59-59 tie at the end of regulation when a Desmond Bane 3-point buzzer beater pulled TCU even. K-State never led by more than three the entire game, and the largest lead belonged to TCU, who had leads of 9 and 8 points mid way through the second half before the Wildcats reeled them back in.

It was also a strange scoring game, at least for the Wildcats. Eight players scored, and for the first time in a while, neither Dean Wade nor Barry Brown were the leading scorer for K-State. That honor went to Makol Mawien, who dropped in 16 points on 6-7 shooting before fouling out late in overtime. Mawien also led the Cats in rebounding, and nearly had a double-double with nine rebounds. Cartier Diarra was the only starter for the Wildcats who did not score in double-figures, adding just five points, but the freshman point guard had five rebounds, five assists, and only one turnover in the contest.

For TCU, Kenrich Williams led all scorers with 20 points, and did turn a double-double with ten rebounds. Desmond Bane, who had been averaging 13 points per game, was held to just the three-pointer that forced overtime.

K-State and TCU both grabbed 33 rebounds, as the Cats have shown more consistency getting to the glass late into this season. K-State shot an icy 20% from 3pt range, but it wasn’t enough for TCU to take full advantage of.

With the win, K-State has likely locked up its second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Up next for the Wildcats is the winner of Kansas vs Oklahoma State, which is currently underway in Kansas City.