With 30 seconds remaining in the game and TCU down by four, the Frogs needed a miracle to come out of Manhattan, Kansas, with a win on Wednesday night.
Looking to start a TCU run, Mike Miles, the third-leading scorer in the Big 12, created some space and pulled up for a deep three-pointer.
It bounced off the side of the rim.
The Big 12’s leader in offensive rebounds (3.2 per game), Emanuel Miller, then grabbed Miles’ miss and put it back through the net to pull TCU within two.
Following timeouts from both sides, all Kansas State needed to do was get the ball across half court, but a crafty trap on Wildcat guard Nijel Pack forced a travel.
With 18 seconds left, the ball was in Miles’ hands again, but TCU never planned for him to take the final shot. Instead, Miles cut into the lane and flicked a pinpoint pass through a group of defenders to guard Damion Baugh in the corner.
Already 2-for-3 from deep at that point, Baugh rattled his three home to put TCU up by one. Kansas State missed its go-ahead attempt on the other end, and Miles hit two free throws with one second left to put the nails in the coffin.
Baugh finished the game with 12 points to go with four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.
Though it was his pass that helped win the game, Miles was the game’s most prolific scorer, finishing with a game-high 19 points (13 in the second half).
The sophomore, who is tied for third in the Big 12 in assists per game, also led the game with six assists.
Miller added eight points of his own, but his game-high 10 rebounds (five offensive) gave TCU much-needed second chances down the stretch.
TCU’s 60-57 win gives the team its first conference win of the season, moving the Frogs to 11-2 overall. Every team in the Big 12 has suffered at least one conference loss.
The game was a back-and-forth matchup from the start, with the first half seeing five different ties. TCU missed its last three shots of the half and went into halftime with just a one-point lead (26-25).
Back-to-back threes by Baugh and Miles spurred a 14-5 run by the Frogs to start the second half, as they took their biggest lead of the game at 40-30.
Kansas State would respond with a run of its own though, tying the game at 42 just under five minutes later.
The Wildcats would then lead from the 8:17 mark until Baugh’s game-winner, taking advantage of stellar on-ball defense by guard Markquis Nowell.
Nowell tied the Kansas State record for steals in a Big 12 game with seven, contributing to TCU’s 16 turnovers on the night. The Arkansas-Little Rock transfer’s steal and score with 1:50 remaining gave him 18 points on the day and put the Wildcats up by five.
The Frogs then finished the contest on an 8-0 run to steal the game and send the Wildcats to their fourth-straight loss.
Looking to keep rolling, TCU will return home on Saturday to face Oklahoma. Tipoff against the Sooners is scheduled for Jan. 15 at 3 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
