No. 6 TCU was on the ropes on Friday.
But the horned frogs staged a late march and then we managed to secure it 72-70 win over 11 Arizona Stateconcluding the frantic final minutes with a game winner in the dying seconds of the match.
TCU extended its two-point lead to 70-67 with 24 seconds remaining on a free throw by All-Big 12 guard Mike Miles Jr.. But a mistake on the front end of the double bounty left the door open for the Sun Devils. Arizona State’s DJ Horn responded with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 70-70 with 15.6 seconds remaining.
But TCU’s Jacoby Coles had the final say. After TCU timed out, the sophomore sank floating in traffic with 1.5 seconds left to give TCU a 72-70 lead.
Desperate Arizona stumbled past the clock short and the Horned Frogs advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Devils watched the NCAA tournament end with a heartbreak after dominating most of the second half.
TCU took over early, opening up a 13-2 lead early in the first half. But Arizona State responded with a score of 15-4 to tie the game at 17-17 and went into halftime with a 44-37 lead. The Sun Devils held the Horned Frogs off most of the second half and took the lead, 62-54 with 5:26 remaining. That’s when TCU ramped up its ascent.
The Horned Frogs shook ASU’s lead in the next few minutes, then tied it at 67-67 with 1:52 remaining. Two Damion Baugh free throws with 34 seconds left gave TCU its first lead of the second half. Then came the frantic finale.
Miles led the TCU effort with 26 points, four rebounds and three assists. He did the most damage to the free throw bar, converting 12 of 14 attempts. His late move gave ASU the opportunity, but Coles assured it would not cost the Horned Frogs.
Horn was gutted in ASU’s 17-point effort that included a 4-of-5 night from behind the 3-point arc. It wasn’t enough to fend off a better team at TCU.
The Horned Frogs advance to the second round in the Western Conference, where they will take on 3-ranked Gonzaga on Sunday.
