TCU extends late-season surge with Kansas State defeat

Xavier Edmonds scored 15 points with 13 rebounds and Tanner Toolson added 14 points as TCU continued its late-season surge with a 77-68 victory over Kansas State in Big 12 play Saturday at Manhattan, Kan.

David Punch scored 13 points and Liutauras Lelevicius added 12 as the Horned Frogs (19-10, 9-7 Big 12) won for the sixth time in their past seven games in a stretch that includes a victory over then-No. 5 Iowa State.

All nine of Edmonds' double-doubles this season have come in the past 11 games.

P.J. Haggerty scored 18 points and Nate Johnson added 16 points with nine rebounds for the Wildcats (11-18, 2-14), who lost for the ninth time in their past 10 games. Kansas State fell to 1-3 under interim head coach Matthew Driscoll, who took after Jerome Tang was fired on Feb. 15.

Taj Manning had 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, who committed 18 turnovers that led to 28 points for the Horned Frogs.

TCU led by as many as seven points before the midway point of the second half but saw its advantage cut to 57-56 with 9:25 remaining. The Horned Frogs used a 9-3 run to take a 66-59 lead with 6:06 remaining after a jumper from Lelevicius that came after a 3-pointer from TCU's Brock Harding.

Kansas State pulled back within 67-65 with 4:44 remaining after a three-point play by David Castillo.

The Horned Frogs took control with a personal 6-0 run from Edmonds for a 73-65 lead with 3:37 remaining. A basket from Harding gave TCU its first double-digit lead at 75-65 with 2:56 left.

TCU used an 8-2 run in the first half to lead 33-27 and was up 41-38 at halftime behind seven points and six rebounds from Edmonds. Haggerty led Kansas State with 14 points in the first half.

The Horned Frogs shot 45.7% from the floor in the first half and still led despite the Wildcats shooting 56.7% before the break.

--Field Level Media