TCU Loses To No. 16 Kansas State

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FORT WORTH—Senior forward Adrick McKinney scored a career high 18 points as TCU opened its week-long homestand with a 67-54 loss to No. 16 Kansas State on Wednesday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

The setback dropped TCU’s season record to 9-8 overall, including 0-4 in Big 12 play. KSU improved to 14-2 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12 with its seventh consecutive win.

McKinney came alive for the Frogs in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to offset a K-State squad that showed up to the DMC in sharp form Wednesday. KSU connected on 48.2 percent of its field goals, including 9-of-17 from 3-point range, and turned 12 TCU turnovers into 20 points. The Wildcats built a 13-point lead at the half and never looked back.

McKinney went 6-of-8 from the floor and 6-of-9 at the charity stripe on the way to his career performance. He totaled 12 of his scoring figure in the second half and added a team-high nine rebounds for the game, his sixth contest in the last nine with at least nine boards.

Sophomore guard Kyan Anderson added 10 points for TCU, while sophomore

forward Devonta Abron had nine and six boards.

Guard Rodney McGruder showed why he represented Kansas State on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, scoring a game-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He made a trio of 3-pointers, including two in the first period to help KSU build its big halftime lead. Guard Martavious Irving and forwards Adrian Diaz and Jordan Henriquez scored eight points each for the Wildcats, with Henriquez pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds.

TCU got off to a strong start, running out to an 8-2 lead in the first three minutes thanks to a pair of early 3’s by Anderson and freshman guard Charles Hill Jr. The Wildcats moved in front for the first time midway through the half with an 8-0 spurt finished off by a trey by guard Will Spradling.

K-State continued to attack, moving on top by 10 points, 24-14, with just over five minutes left in the opening period following another long run, this one 9-0. Diaz started it up with back-to-back buckets, while guard Angel Rodriguez added KSU’s third trey of the half. The Wildcats closed the half outscoring TCU by a 12-4 count in the final three-and-a-half minutes. Irving scored on a layup at the buzzer to send the Frogs to the locker room trailing by a 38-25 count.

The second half started just as the first had ended, as KSU drilled its first three attempts from beyond the arc in just three minutes to move in front by 18 points, 47-29. The Wildcats added a 9-2 spurt midway through the half to push the advantage over 20 points. TCU held KSU without a basketball for the final 6:19 while cutting the final deficit back to only 13 points.

TCU concludes a two-game homestand Saturday at 12:45 p.m., when the squad plays host to Iowa State at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The Big 12 Network, which is available on TXA-21 in the DFW Metroplex, will televise the game live.

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