The Horned Frogs fell short against the No. 24 Kansas State Wildcats Saturday afternoon, losing a tightly contested affair by a score of 68-56.

The two squads battled it out in a sea of pink to celebrate the Frog’s annual “Play4Kay” game. The Frogs raised awareness – and money- in pink uniforms, for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and its fight against women’s cancers.

The two Big 12 foes had a fight of their own. TCU led the first 37 minutes of the game, but failed to hang on late en route to the loss.

The Frogs started out with shooting success in the paint and carried a 42-34 going into halftime. TCU’s offense slowed down in the second half, scoring half as much as they did in the first quarter (24). The Frogs additionally turned the ball over four times.

“We stopped attacking and getting into the paint where we were getting really good looks,” TCU head coach Raegan Pebley said. “We opened that third quarter with some turnovers, and I think made us hesitant.”

The Frogs did get a few possessions in the paint during the fourth quarter, but only shot 25 percent from the field.

Kansas State fought to get their first lead of the game with less than two-minutes on the clock, and held onto it for good.

“We gave ourselves a chance,” Pebley said. “Kansas State stepped up and hit some big shots.”

Kansas State guard Kindred Wesemann proved to be the difference-maker in the fourth-quarter. Wesemann scored three 3-pointers to help her team close in on the Frogs.

TCU Guard AJ Alix was sought out by Kansas State’s defense. She was forced to focus on passing.

“AJ is a player that can score, and she has been scoring really well for us,” said Pebley. “I loved that she had confidence in her teammates to get some points on the board.”

Despite the loss, TCU forward Amy Okonkwo rose to the occasion, leading the team with 24 points for the night.

“I am proud of our team’s fight,” Pebley said. “It showed that they are still really invested in each other and growing.”

With youth aplenty, the Frogs are remaining focused on trying to come out better and better each contest.

“It hurts to fight that hard and lose,” Okonkwo said. “As a team we are just re-grouping, because we do still have three more games left.”

The Horned Frogs’ next game is Feb. 22 in Morgantown, West Virginia as they take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.