Late 3-pointer by Damion Baugh lifts TCU basketball past Kansas State
Mike Miles could’ve gone in for a game-tying layup in the final seconds, but he had another thing on his mind.
“I wanted to win, not tie the game,” Miles said, smiling.
So Miles dished a pass from the lane to an open Damion Baugh in the corner. Baugh knocked down a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, giving TCU a one-point lead of what became a 60-57 victory over Kansas State on Wednesday night at Bramlage Stadium.
TCU (11-2, 1-1 Big 12) has now won its last three games in Manhattan. K-State (8-7, 0-4), meanwhile, has lost four straight to open conference play.
“I got to the rim and I could’ve had a layup,” said Miles, who had a game-high 19 points. “I saw DB in the corner open. I just had to make the pass. It was a good pass, but it was a better shot.”
Baugh knew the ball was going in once it left his hands. He finished the game with 12 points, including 3 for 4 from 3-point range.
“We run that play every day in practice,” Baugh said. “Coach Dixon kept telling us before the game, 45 cut. So before the play, I told (Emanuel Miller), once Mike gets in the drive, just 45 cut. I knew I was going to be open so I just had to make the shot.”
That shot wiped away what had been a forgettable shooting night for the Horned Frogs. They finished the game 6 of 20 from deep and missed half their free throws (11 of 22). They also turned it over 16 times, including 10 in the second half.
But TCU found its rhythm when it needed to most, closing the game on an 8-0 run. TCU pulled to within 57-55 with 24 seconds left on a layup by Miller, and then forced a K-State turnover on the press to set up the go-ahead 3.
“Whether it came late or came early, it came,” Miles said. “That’s the best part. We got it at the right time. We got rhythm at the right time. We fought hard to come back and get the win. We knew we needed this win and we got it.”
TCU opened the game by missing 10 of its first 12 shots from the field, but it had a 26-25 lead by halftime. The Frogs were on the cusp of taking control of the game early in the second half, too, as an 8-0 run gave them a 40-30 lead with 16 minutes left.
But, as TCU coach Jamie Dixon said going into the game, a streaky and dangerous K-State team responded. The Wildcats made three 3-pointers in a two-plus minute stretch, sparking what became a 16-2 run. The Wildcats had a 46-42 lead with less than 10 minutes left, but the Frogs stayed within striking distance down the stretch.
“We’re not where we need to be and we made that very clear,” Dixon said. “But we fought through it and made plays at the end.”
None bigger than the Miles-to-Baugh 3.
“Mike made the play, made the pass,” Dixon said. “I couldn’t see the pass, to be honest with you, but we were working on the pass going that way off the left hand. We have been working on that action.”
Miles and Baugh were the only TCU players to score in double figures. Eddie Lampkin had nine points and six rebounds, while Miller had eight points and 10 rebounds.
Markquis Nowell led K-State with 18 points.
“Any road win is effective,” Dixon said. “We’re kind of finding ourselves. We had three weeks off (with an 18-day COVID pause), but our guys were able to fight through the fatigue a little better tonight.”
TCU returns to action against Oklahoma on Saturday at Schollmaier Arena. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 10:19 PM.
