Oklahoma State Falls On the Road Against TCU

TCU needed a win against Oklahoma State at home to stay in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid...but Cowboy fans probably don’t want to hear anything about March Madness right now.

A late comeback attempt from Oklahoma State fell short as TCU hung on for a 77-73 win in front of a paltry crowd inside Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. The difference in the game came down to free throws and rebounding. TCU shot 18-23 from the free throw line while OSU shot just 5-10. The Horned Frogs out-rebounded the Cowboys 37-24.

Isaac Likekele led Oklahoma State with 19 points on 9-12 from the field. The senior from Arlington, Texas, had a stellar final game in the metroplex, chipping in six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block to lead OSU in all categories.

The only other double-figure scorer was Avery Anderson III with 14 points on 5-13 shooting. The duo from the metroplex carried the Cowboys against TCU but didn’t get enough help from the rest of the roster in the loss. Moussa Cisse and Bryce Thompson each finished with nine points while Rondel Walker, Bryce Williams and Tyreek Smith all scored five points apiece.

TCU extended its lead out to 70-58 with just under six minutes remaining in the game before Oklahoma State made one last push. Likekele scored seven of his 19 points and assisted Rondel Walker as part of an 11-0 run from the Cowboys that also featured a dunk from Cisse. That cut the TCU lead to 70-69 with with 2:04 remaining in the game. TCU coach Jamie Dixon called timeout and the Horned Frogs connected on a jumper from Damion Baugh out of the timeout. That would be as close as Oklahoma State would come to winning in Fort Worth. Instead, TCU hung on for its fifth straight win over OSU in Fort Worth.

Chuck O’Bannon Jr. tied his career high with 19 points on 6-9 from the field. Emanuel Miller chipped in 16 points on 6-12 shooting and four assists. Damion Baugh scored 15 points and led the Horned Frogs in assists with eight. Eddie Lampkin finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds and hit a pair of clutch free throws to seal the win. Lampkin’s energy on defense and rim protection was a big part of the TCU win.

TCU was without its best player in Mike Miles Jr. and still managed to score 77 points on the Oklahoma State defense. The Cowboys will have to defend well down the stretch to win a few more conference games. Up next for Oklahoma State is a date with West Virginia at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 before a showdown with Kansas at the historic Allen Fieldhouse next Monday.