MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State nearly rallied from an 18-point deficit, closing to within 61-58 with 38 seconds to play, before TCU converted from the free throw line to hang on for a 67-60 win on Saturday afternoon in front of a limited capacity crowd of 798 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
Down by as many as 18 points in the first half, the Wildcats (5-6, 1-2 Big 12) had to an opportunity complete the comeback with 38 seconds to play, but a bad pass led to a steal by junior R.J. Nembhard, who started a stretch of 6 consecutive free throws made to end the game by the Horned Frogs (9-2, 2-1 Big 12). Sophomore Kevin Easley, Jr., followed with a pair with 22 seconds before Nembhard finished it off with 2 more with 9 seconds to play.
The win extended TCU's winning streak to 5 games, including 2 in a row on the road in Big 12 play, as the Horned Frogs collected wins in back-to-back seasons at Bramlage Coliseum for the first time in series history.
Nembhard, the Big 12's second-leading scorer at 18.4 points per game who missed TCU's last game vs. Prairie View A&M on Wednesday, led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Easley and freshman Mike Miles added 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Frog bench also provided a boost with a combined 19 points, including 17 from junior Jaedon LeDee (9 points) and sophomore Francisco Farabello (8 points).
Four Wildcats scored in double figures for the second time this season, as sophomore DaJuan Gordon posted a career-high 18 points on 7-of-13 field goals to go with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in just over 36 minutes. Freshman big man Davion Bradford nearly collected his first double-double with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting with 9 rebounds, while senior Mike McGuirl and freshman Nijel Pack added 13 and 12, respectively.
The tone of the game was set in the first half, as the Horned Frogs couldn't miss to open the game, hitting on their first 5 field goals and shooting 76.5 percent (13-of-17) in taking a 29-11 lead with 7:24 to play before halftime. The Wildcats were the complete opposite, making just 4 of their first 22 shots (18.1 percent), including a stretch of 12 consecutive misses.
A steal and layup by Gordon sparked an 8-0 run by K-State that closed the gap to 29-18 and forced a timeout by TCU head coach Jaime Dixon with 3:43 to play. The Wildcats finished of the half by scoring 8 of the last 12 points, including a 3-pointer by Gordon at the buzzer.
TCU connected on 61.5 percent (16-of-26) in the first half, including 77.8 percent (14-of-18) from inside the 3-point line, while K-State shot a season-low 32.4 percent (11-of-34), including just 1-of-10 from 3-point range.
The momentum the Wildcats generated in the latter part of the first half carried over into the second half, as a 13-3 run helped them close to within a possession at 41-39 on a 3-pointer by McGuirl with 13:08 to play. However, a pair of free throws by Easley helped start a 9-1 run that pushed the lead back out to 10 points.
After TCU extended the lead to 11 with just over 6 minutes to play, K-State made another push at grabbing the lead, using a 14-6 run -- which included back-to-back 3-pointers from Gordon and McGuirl -- to again get within one possession at 61-58 with 1:15 to play. However, Bradford couldn't finish on a poor pass from McGuirl, and Nembhard stole the ball and was fouled, setting up the final sequence.
After starting red hot, TCU shot just 28 percent (7-of-25) in the second half, including 20 percent (1-of-5) from 3-point range, but connected on 16 of 19 attempts (84.2 percent) from the free throw line. The Horned Frogs finished at 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field, including 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from beyond the arc.
After the poor start, K-State recovered in the second half to shoot 36.9 percent (24-of-65) from the field, including 41.9 percent (13-of-31) after halftime.
KEY STRETCH(ES)
TCU was strong from the start, hitting its first 5 field goals to take a 10-4 lead and force a timeout by K-State head coach Bruce Weber less than 4 minutes into the game. The Horned Frogs hit 13 of their first 17 shots and led by as many as 18 points in the first half, including 29-11 at the 7:24 mark after a 3-pointer by Farabello.
Down by as many as 18 points, K-State scored 15 of the last 22 points to close the gap to 10 points (36-26) at the break, as six different Wildcats contributed points in the run, including a 3-pointer by Gordon at the horn.
K-State opened the second half with a 13-3 run that closed the gap to 41-39 and forced yet another TCU timeout with just 13 minutes to play. After a timeout, TCU responded with a 9-1 run to build the lead back up to 10 points.
A 14-6 run by the Wildcats closed the deficit to 61-58 with 1:15 to play, but the Horned Frogs were able to get a steal with 38 seconds left and finished from the game from the line, going 6-of-6.
PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
Sophomore DaJuan Gordon scored a career-best 18 points on 7-of-13 field goals, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 36 minutes. He scored 11 of 18 points in the second half.
Freshman Davion Bradford nearly collected his first career double-double with 14 points on 6-of-10 field goals to go with a team-high 9 rebounds in 29 minutes.
STAT OF THE GAME
19-3 – TCU held a 19-3 advantage in bench points, as the Horned Frogs got a combined 17 points from reserves junior Jaedon LeDee (9 points and 4 rebounds) and sophomore Francisco Farabello (8 points and 5 rebounds) on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On the game…
"You're disappointed, especially with the start of the game. We didn't have the passion, the fight on the defensive end. They scored on five of their first six. We had no answers and couldn't stop them. On the other end, it's a very complex game but it's also very simple. You have to make shots. We had 15 assists on 24 made field goals, probably our low for turnovers on the year. A couple of costly ones here and there, but we have some good possessions where we just don't make the shots. It's a credit to our guys, they continued to fight. It was a similar game to last year here when we were down 10 points at half. You give yourself a chance, but then you got to make a few plays when it really counts to have that chance (at the end). (R.J.) Nembhard is a very good player. I thought we did a better job maybe in the second half on him. (Mike) Miles took it to us early, but we did a better job on him in the second half. I wrote on the scouting report that one of the major keys was don't let the other guys hurt us. (Kevin) Easley has 12. (Francisco) Farabello comes in and gets eight. (Jaedon) Ledee gets nine. Their other guys hurt us. DaJuan (Gordon) had an unbelievable line and effort, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 offensive, 3 assists and 3 steals. He's a leader by a long range. He's got a big heart and plays his butt off. Now you've got the grind of the league. You got to get ready. Every game is going to be tough, so we'll see if we have the maturity and toughness to come back and be ready for the next one."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State is now 5-6 on the season, including 1-2 in Big 12 play… The Wildcats has dropped their first 2 home Big 12 games for the second consecutive season.
- K-State is now 17-9 all-time against TCU, including 14-7 in the Big 12 era… The Wildcats are 8-4 all-time at home in the series, including 6-4 at Bramlage Coliseum… The Horned Frogs have won consecutive games at Bramlage Coliseum for the first time in the series.
- The Wildcats' starting lineup consisted of senior Mike McGuirl, sophomore DaJuan Gordon, freshman Nijel Pack, freshman Selton Miguel and freshman Davion Bradford… McGuirl, Gordon and Pack have started all 10 games this season… McGuirl has the longest current active start streak at 16 games.
- It marked the sixth straight game that three Wildcat true freshmen have started.
- Sophomore Montavious Murphy returned today after missing the last 7 games due to injury… He played 7 minutes off the bench, grabbing a rebound.
Team Notes
- K-State scored its 60 points on 36.9 percent shooting (24-of-65), including 28 percent (7-of-25) from 3-point range, while hitting on 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from the free throw line… The team shot a season-low 32.4 percent (11-of-34) in the first half, including 10.0 percent (1-of-10) from long range.
- K-State scored 30 of its 60 points in the paint.
- Four Wildcats (D. Gordon, Bradford, McGuirl and Pack) all scored in double figures… It marked just the second time this season that four players registered double digits.
- K-State recorded a season-low 9 turnovers while forcing TCU into 12, which led to 13 points.
- TCU connected on 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field, including 52.6 percent (20-of-38) from inside the 3-point line, and went 18-of-22 (81.8 percent) from the free throw line.
- TCU held a 40-32 advantage on the boards, including an opponent-high 29 defensive rebounds.
- TCU got a big performance from its bench, holding a 19-3 advantage in bench points… 17 of the 19 points came from reserves Jaedon LeDee (9 points) and Francisco Farabello (8) who combined to go 5-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range.
- TCU held a 36-26 lead at halftime on the strength of 61.5 percent shooting (16-of-26)… The Wildcats shot just 32.4 percent (11-of-34) from the field, which was their lowest first-half field goal percentage.
- K-State is now 0-5 on the season when leading at the half.
Player Notes
- Sophomore DaJuan Gordon scored a career-best 18 points on 7-of-13 field goals, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range, with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 36 minutes… He has now led the team in scoring 3 times this season… It marked his 12th career double-digit scoring game, including his sixth this season… He also led steals for the 13th career time, including the seventh this season.
- Freshman Davion Bradford scored 14 points on 6-of-10 field goals and grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds in 29 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 3 games this season, including his second time in Big 12 action… It marked the third time he has led the team in rebounding.
- Senior Mike McGuirl scored 13 points on 5-of-17 field goals, including 3-of-8 from 3-point range, with a game-high 6 assists, 4 rebounds and a steal in 38 minutes… It marked his 17th career double-digit scoring game, including his team-leading seventh this season… He now has 33 assists in the last 6 games… He has now led the team in assists in 10 career games, including 6 times in 2020-21.
- Freshman Nijel Pack scored 12 points on 5-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, with 2 assists and 2 steals in 33 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 5 games this season, including for the first time in a Big 12 contest.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State hits the road for a game at No. 13/14 Texas Tech (8-3, 1-2 Big 12) on Tuesday at 6 p.m., CT at the United Supermarkets Arena. The Wildcats lost both regular season meetings with the Red Raiders in 2019-20, including a 69-62 setback in Lubbock on Feb. 19, 2020.
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K-State's Rally Falls Short to TCU, 67-60 - K-StateSports.com
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