The Kansas State Wildcats turned heads and brought upsets throughout their first three games of the Big 12 Tournament before facing off against the No. 1 seed TCU Horned Frogs in the semifinals.
The matchup was a competitive battle, but the Horned Frogs were more offensively sound throughout the second half, putting the Wildcats in a tough position to pull another upset.
Jordan Speiser would once again lead the team, tallying 16 points and four rebounds. Nastja Claessens and Taryn Sides would be close behind, adding a combined 25 points
Having two ties during the first 10 minutes of play, both teams kept each other close. To wrap up the first quarter, Sides drove to the lane but got stuck and quickly found Speiser for a deep three-pointer to put K-State up 13-10 going into the second quarter.
TCU came out on an 8-0 run to start the second 10 minutes of play, which pushed their lead to five points, 18-13. However, the Wildcats were able to close the gap and tie the game 21-21 after Gina Garcia converted a three-point play through contact.
During transition, Garcia used her length to deflect a pass, getting it into the hands of Sides for a need three-pointer for K-State.
At the 2:54 mark, the duo of Sides and Claessens would hit back-to-back threes, strengthening their lead 31-25. But during the last 52 seconds before the break, the Horned Frogs went on a scoring run of five to take the lead 33-32.
Coming back from halftime, TCU accumulated 24 points from shooting 73.3% in its highest scoring quarter of the night, compared to K-State’s 16 points scored during the third quarter. With three minutes remaining in the quarter, the Horned Frogs made seven straight field goals to take and extend their lead to 52-45. As 1:15 remained, TCU knocked down a pair of free throws to push their advantage to seven and close the quarter leading 56-49.
The closest the Wildcats were able to get was within five points when Speiser hit a jumpshot at the 5:14 mark. K-State went on several short scoring runs, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Horned Frogs kept adding onto the scoring gap, making it double digits.
TCU would end the game with a pair of layups off fastbreaks to send K-State with a 74-62 defeat.
The Wildcats set the Big 12 Tournament record for three-point field goals made in a single tournament with 41.
K-State will now await its postseason destination, with the selection show for the 2026 WBIT on Sunday, March 15, at 8 p.m., on ESPN+.
