No. 15 TCU men’s basketball (17-6, 6-4) fell short in its 79-73 comeback loss to Oklahoma State yesterday afternoon at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The Frogs entered yesterday’s contest in Stillwater fresh off of an exhilarating victory against West Virginia.

The high didn’t last long as TCU got off to an abysmal shooting start, struggling to score in the half court.

Aside from two made free throws from senior guard Damion Baugh, the Frogs missed their eight shot attempts.

While TCU struggled, the Cowboys took full advantage, racing out to an early 16-2 lead.

Without junior guard and leading scorer Mike Miles Jr. and sophomore big man Eddie Lampkin Jr., TCU’s offense looked unfamiliar, at times resorting to bail-out contested jumpers and long 3-pointers.

On the other side, Oklahoma State senior forward Kalib Boone had a field day inside the paint, scoring a game-high 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

“He killed us, he made the plays, made the shots, congratulations to him for sticking it out and becoming a really good player in his senior year,” said head coach Jamie Dixon.

With the aforementioned Lampkin Jr. on the sidelines nursing an ankle injury, TCU’s front-court depth runs thin.

Junior and sophomore forwards Xavier Cork and JaKobe Coles have elevated their play in his absence, but Lampkin Jr.’s energy and presence can’t be quantified or duplicated.

The Frogs ultimately found themselves down 19 points, 48-29, with 18:50 remaining in the game.

Usually defined by its efficiency, TCU shot just 38% from the floor and went 1-of-10 from 3-point land.

Following a 43-29 halftime deficit, the Frogs, per usual, decided to fight back and claw their way back into the game.

Second half highs & lows

After withstanding so many demoralizing scoring droughts and defensive lapses, the second half saw a completely different Frogs squad.

The same squad that defeated top 25 teams: Kansas State, Kansas, Baylor, and Iowa State.

An Emanuel Miller putback capped off a TCU 15-1 scoring run that cut the deficit to five points, 49-44.

The senior forward finished with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, that included one 3-pointer.

Shahada Wells continued to shine in Miles Jr.’s absence, contributing 14 points on 50% shooting from the field and from three with four steals.

Despite his limited stature, the redshirt junior brings an intensity to the defensive end that leads to monster plays such as…

After knocking on the door for the better part of the second half, TCU finally took its first lead of the game, 60-59, with 5:08 remaining.

Oklahoma State responded with eight unanswered points, but baskets by Wells and sophomore forward JaKobe Coles brought the game within two, 72-70.

Sophomore forward JaKobe Coles scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, making it his third straight game in double-figures.

Over the last 1:25 left to play, TCU unraveled, only scoring one of its next four field goal attempts allowing OSU to sneak by with the victory behind clutch free throw shooting.

Senior guard Damion Baugh finished the game with 12 points and six rebounds, and redshirt senior Chuck O’Bannon Jr. rounded out out the double-figure scorers with 11 points.

“I’m so proud of these guys, [this] is why I love this team — things weren’t going well, but we kept going, we kept battling,” said Dixon.

TCU will travel to Manhattan to take on No. 7 Kansas State inside Bramlage Coliseum.

Tip-off is at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.