TCU 88, Baylor 87: Frogs beat the buzzer

The TCU men’s basketball team rallied from a double-digit deficit for the second consecutive game on Wednesday, erasing a 17-point hole behind late-game heroics from Chuck O’Bannon, who swished a long-range jumper with 3.4 seconds remaining before Xavier Cork blocked the final shot attempt of the evening as the Horned Frogs edged Baylor 88-87 in a matchup of ranked Big 12 Conference rivals. With TCU and Baylor squaring off for the first time as ranked programs, it was the Horned Frogs (13-1, 2-0 Big 12), who broke the hearts of the Bears for the second time this school year. TCU avoided a major upset during the football season, booting a game-winning field goal to shock Baylor 29-28 in Waco.

Mike Miles shined for the Horned Frogs in the win, finishing with a game-high 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting. Miles sparked TCU’s final offensive possession on Wednesday, driving down the floor and dishing out his fourth assist of the evening, sending a pass to O’Bannon near the Horned Frog bench before the senior forward knocked down the 2-point shot to give TCU a one-point lead. Four Horned Frogs reached double figures in the win, with Damion Baugh and Eddie Lampkin each scoring 15 points while Emanuel Miller added 13 points with eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Lampkin led TCU with nine rebounds and Baugh distributed a team-leading seven assists while adding two steals in the win.

Keyonte George was the hot hand for the Bears, leading the team with 27 points and six rebounds. While TCU shot 48.5 percent from the field, Baylor was superior from distance, shooting 45.8 percent from 3-point range while the Horned Frogs went 3-for-14 for a 21.4 percent rate. The Bears were also better off the bench, outscoring TCU 21-6 in bench points. The Horned Frogs, who trailed 49-39 at halftime on Wednesday, have won 11 consecutive games despite scoring only 15 points off the bench over their last two Big 12 games.

Both teams were efficient from the free-throw line, with the Bears finishing 28-for-33 (84.8 percent) and the Horned Frogs finishing 19-for-23 (82.6 percent). Baylor held a 37-30 rebounding advantage in the game, but TCU once again forced the issue on defense, creating 15 turnovers and outscoring the Bears 16-9 in points off turnovers. The Horned Frogs, who committed only seven turnovers in the win, were effective on the run as well, outpacing the Bears 23-2 in fastbreak points. TCU will shoot to remain unbeaten in conference play with a home game against ranked Iowa State on Saturday at 1 p.m.