Jameer Nelson Jr. hits game-winning shot to lift TCU past Kansas State

At risk of blowing a late lead at Kansas State, TCU guard Jameer Nelson Jr. stepped up and delivered one of the biggest clutch shots of the season as his last second 3-pointer lifted the Horned Frogs to a 75-72 win at Kansas State on Saturday.

With 41 seconds remaining in the game TCU seemed poise to pull away for a needed Big 12 road win. However, Horned Frogs’ miscues, including missed free throws and a turnover by Micah Peavy with 15.6 seconds left, allowed Kansas State to claw back to 72-70.

Nelson then was called for a loose ball foul on the inbound pass despite one official calling a five-second violation at roughly the same time. The Wildcats’ Cam Carter made both free throws to tie the game, 72-72.

Nelson, a senior guard made up for the foul, in the best way as he walked the ball up the court, passed it to Emanuel Miller, who gave it right back to him with 4.8 seconds on the clock. Matched up against Carter, Nelson rose up and drilled the 3-pointer through contact with 1.1 seconds remaining.

Tyloer Perry’s last second heave fell short as TCU avoided a las- minute collapse. It was Coach Jamie Dixon’s 157th win at TCU and moves him into second place in program history as the Horned Frogs improved to 18-7 overall, 7-5 in the Big 12.

Peavy’s masterpiece

With the game hanging in the balance, Micah Peavy had his best performance of the year with a career-high 26 points. Peavy was fantastic on both ends in the second half as he helped TCU battle back from an eight0point deficit with 12:30 remaining in the game. After a Xavier Cork bucket inside, Peavy knocked down a 3-pointer to get himself going.

Cork tied the game at 49 and then Peavy scored the next nine points for the Horned Frogs as a 49-41 deficit turned into a 57-51 lead with just over eight minutes in the game. While he was getting to the lane regularly he was also playing suffocating defense as he was credited for three blocks during the crucial run.

Peavy, who is only a 55 percent free throw shooter, came through time and time again as he made eight of his 10 free throw attempts. Peavy’s confidence and aggression put TCU in position to pick up the victory as he was one of just two Horned Frogs to score in double digits.

Grimy first half

The first 10 minutes of the game went as Kansas State hoped as the Wildcats kept the pace of the game sluggish and TCU’s offense was initially rattled. The Horned Frogs went more than four minutes without a point as Kansas State took a 14-4 lead with 12:05 left in the half. Micah Peavy would lead the comeback as he began to force the issue by getting into the lane.

TCU used a 11-0 run to take the lead and Peavy scored seven of those points. After a Kansas State bucket stopped the run, Jameer Nelson answered with two straight shots including a fast break dunk that lifted TCU to a 19-16 advantage with just over five minutes remaining before halftime. Leading 22-20 after a Chuck O’Bannon 3, TCU’s offense went into another small drought as the Wildcats used a 8-0 run to take back control of the game.

The Wildcats were aided by a hook and hold call on O’Bannon aided the run, but ultimately TCU went into the half down 28-24 despite shooting below 30 percent in the first half.