Last Second Shot for TCU Stuns K-State
Jameer Nelson Jr.’s three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining gave the visiting TCU Horned Frogs a dramatic 75-72 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday afternoon in a devastating blow to the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament hopes.
K-State had battled back from a 10-point second-half deficit to tie the score at 72 on a pair of Cam Carter free throws with 16 seconds to play, and a switch to a zone defense appeared to throw off TCU on the final possession, but Nelson made the shot from the right wing while falling away with a hand in his face to stun the crowd. Tylor Perry’s three-quarter-court heave missed, but came after the buzzer anyway.
After a first-half defensive slog that saw K-State take a 28-24 lead into the locker room, both teams erupted offensively in the second half with the Horned Frogs outscoring the home five 51-44. A 20-2 run midway through the half erased what had been a 47-39 K-State lead and put TCU up 61-51 with 7:14 left before the Wildcats made their final push. Down five with 30 seconds to play, Arthur Kaluma was fouled shooting a three-pointer and made all three charity tosses. After Trevian Tennyson made two freebies at the other end for TCU, Perry was fouled with 15 seconds left and made two, and TCU turned the ball over on the inbound. Carter was fouled before the ensuing inbounds play and made both his shots, setting the stage for TCU’s final possession and Nelson Jr.’s heroics.
Perry’s 24 points led K-State in the loss. David N’Guessan had 12 points and Kaluma added 11. The Wildcats shot 48 percent (23-48) as a team and made 25 of their 29 free throws, but were left to rue a 1-for-15 performance from the three-point arc. Micah Peavy scored 26 points to lead all scorers for TCU, who shot just 43 percent (24-56) for the game but made 16 of their 29 shots and five of their eight threes in the second half.
With the loss, the Wildcats drop to 15-10 overall and 5-7 in the Big 12. TCU moves to 18-7 and 7-5 in the conference. K-State is back in action on Monday night at Texas.
