With 1:33 left to go in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Wednesday night, TCU guard Francisco Farabello hit a free throw to give the Frogs a six-point lead over Oklahoma State.
Considering that the Pokes were just 5-for-17 from behind-the-arc at that point, the game felt over, and it seemed inevitable that TCU would grab its third-straight win.
The Frogs then went ice cold.
Over the last 93 seconds, TCU scored zero points, giving up a 7-0 run to Oklahoma State to suffer a brutal 57-56 loss and end its two-game winning streak.
“They finished the game on 7-0 run?” forward Chuck O’Bannon said. “Can’t have that up six on the road. Unacceptable.”
It was the third-straight game that went down to the wire for the Frogs, as they were able to overtake Kansas State by three a week prior and Oklahoma by one in overtime last Saturday.
The game had been a street fight from start to finish, with the two teams combining for 33 turnovers and 35 fouls while both shooting right around 35% from the floor. The 22 turnovers by TCU alone were a season-high.
The run for the Pokes started when the Frogs gave up an offensive rebound to Oklahoma State forward Tyreek Hill and set him to the line for two free throws, which he nailed.
A missed jumper by guard Mike Miles then gave the ball back to the Pokes, who produced another offensive rebound and dished it to guard Rondel Walker for a three pointer.
With the Frogs up just one at that point, forward JaKobe Coles got open for a layup on the fast break, but Smith soared in to pin it against the glass.
Walker produced again for Oklahoma State, driving into the lane and drawing a foul call on Miles, who attempted to take a game-ending charge. Walker hit both free throws to put TCU down one with four seconds left.
As they had in Manhattan, the Frogs ran a play for a potential Damion Baugh game-winner, but his three-pointer clanked off the back of the rim.
Walker, a former AAU teammate of Miles, had finished 4-for-5 from the floor with 12 points to tie with guard Avery Anderson for the Pokes’ team-high.
“At the end of the day, we’re up nine. You’ve got to win the game,” head coach Jamie Dixon said. “That’s where you’re at. You’re up nine. You can’t foul them. You can’t let them make 3s. That’s what they did.”
Miles, who injured his shooting wrist on Jan. 8 against Baylor, finished 2-for-15 from the floor with just eight points.
O’Bannon led all scorers with 13 points, capped by a ferocious slam with 3:16 remaining to give TCU its largest lead at nine.
The super senior and USC transfer has reached double-digit points in eight of the Frogs’ last 10 games.
Farabello also pulled his weight for TCU on the offensive end, finishing with a career-high 12 points. The junior added four rebounds and finished 2-for-4 from deep.
TCU had held a five-point lead at halftime, but its 13 first-half turnovers prohibited the team from pulling away further. Bleeding into the second half, an 0-for-10 start from the field by Miles (the Big 12’s third-leading scorer) hindered the Frogs from creating much offensive rhythm for most of the game.
A lone bright side in the game for the Frogs had been their performance on the glass. They outrebounded the Pokes 44 (17 offensive)-33. Forward Emanuel Miller led the game with 10 boards.
Life does not get easier from here for TCU. Next, the Frogs head to Ames, Iowa, to take on No. 15 Iowa State. Tipoff against the Cyclones is scheduled for Jan. 22 at 3 p.m.
