This Hurt! Overtime at Home to a Fellow Bubble Team, 95-92 TCU Over Oklahoma State
(This story contains material from Pokes Report and Oklahoma State University Athletic Media Relations.)
STILLWATER – This one hurt as Oklahoma State lost their third game in a row coming off a frustrating road trip to Arizona where the Cowboys were blasted and almost doubled by No. 1 Arizona and then lost on Tuesday to an Arizona State team that had been reeling. Oklahoma State came home and trailed the entire game until Parsa Fallah hit two of his 27 points on a put back off of a missed three by Jaylen Curry at the buzzer in regulation to send the game to overtime tied at 84. However, in the overtime the rhythm went right back to the Horned Frogs leading and in the extra five minutes TCU closed it out 95-92.
Both teams had been on the bubble and leaning out of the NCAA Tournament in the latest bracketology. ESPN had TCU in the last four teams out and Oklahoma State in the next four out. The Cowboys drop to 16-9 and 4-8 in the Big 12 having lost the last three since their best win, a home conquest of then No. 14 BYU.
“It was a basketball game that was very important to us and we came up short,” Lutz said afterwards and after making a comment about the “Salute to Cancer Survivors Pink Out Game.” “I give all the credit to Jamie (Dixon) and his team.”
“It’s hard, man,” Fallah said in the postgame. “Losing games like that (which) we needed to win, it really is hard. But, I refuse to give up on this team, and I think all the players and all the coaches, we can not give up now. We understand that fans might be mad, and they have the right to be mad, too. But we got a game on Wednesday, and we got (six) more games to go. We have the Big 12 Tournament, and we got a good team. We’re right there. We’re just a step short. We’re not gonna give up, but it’s tough. It’s really tough.”
TCU is now 16-9, but moving up and sitting at an even .500, 6-6 in the Big 12.
The Horned Frogs were led by David Punch, who had 19 points and teammate Xavier Edmonds had a double-double for the Frogs.
In the overtime with both teams dealing with foul trouble, Punch and Micah Robinson each scored four points and Jayden Pierre hit a three pointer to stretch the TCU advantage.
Some of the same issues from recent disappointments were there with Oklahoma State in the contest as TCU hit 12-of-25 from three-point range. Defense, beyond the arch had improved for the Pokes recently, but it has been a problem most of the season. Pierre, who hit the trey in overtime was four-of-five from three. The Frogs also outrebounded Oklahoma State, a more recent issue for the Cowboys 39-36. Worse, TCU had 14 offensive rebounds and 15 second chance points to Oklahoma State’s seven.
Punch had six rebounds and two offensive before fouling out in the game. Pierre had 18 points and Edmonds had 10 rebounds, five offense and five defense to go with his 15 points.
Fallah made 10 of 13 shots for his 27 to lead the Cowboys. Anthony Roy contributed 16 points. Kanye Clary had 13 points plus a pair of clutch free throws late and nine assists before he fouled out. Christian Coleman also scored 13 and Jaylen Curry added 12 off the bench.
TCU, which has won three straight and was coming off a 62-55 victory over No. 5 Iowa State, led the whole second half until Fallah's tip-in tied it.
Pierre buried a 3-pointer following a layup by Robinson for a 91-86 lead in the extra period.
Oklahoma State will host No. 9 Kansas on Wednesday. The Jayhawks were crushed on Saturday at No. 5 Iowa State 74-56.
