David Punch scored 26 points, Tanner Toolson hit a clutch 3-pointer and TCU stormed back from a 10-point deficit for a 95-88 victory over Oklahoma State in the second round of the Big 12 tournament Wednesday night in Kansas City, Mo.
The sixth-seeded Frogs (22-10) advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday to face No. 14 Kansas, the 3-seed. TCU has won at least one game in the tournament in four of the last five seasons.
Toolson scored 19 off the bench and Jayden Pierre added 13 points and five assists. Xavier Edmonds posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for TCU, which won all three of its games against Oklahoma State this season.
The 14th-seeded Cowboys (19-14) were leading 67-57 with less than 14 minutes left, courtesy of an 8-0 spurt that featured two 3-pointers by Anthony Roy.
TCU chipped away, eventually going in front 81-80 on a 3 by Pierre with 5:40 left. Pierre’s triple, which was set up when Edmonds hauled in an offensive rebound off a missed free throw, capped a 6-0 run.
Oklahoma State regained the lead on the next possession, but TCU scored the next four points and stayed in front. Punch, who added seven rebounds, had a pivotal layup to extend the lead to 89-86 with 2:51 left. Toolson then knocked down a 3 to push the lead to 92-86 with less than two minutes left.
Punch and Toolson sealed the victory with a couple of blocks in the final minute.
Oklahoma State was led by Roy, who finished with 25 points and nine rebounds. Christian Coleman had 15 points and Kanye Clary added 14 points and dished out five assists.
TCU finished 50.7% from the field while Oklahoma State shot 49.3%. The difference came from deep as the Frogs went 8 of 23 compared to the Cowboys’ 4 of 19. TCU also had a 27-16 edge in second-chance points.
