The TCU Horned Frogs have finally done it. TCU earned its marquee Big 12 win over one of the nation’s best teams, knocking off the fifth-ranked Iowa State Cyclones. The Horned Frogs improved to 15-9 on the season
and are now 5-6 in conference play following the impressive 62-55 victory in Fort Worth.
With a new starting lineup in tow, swapping Micah Robinson in for Liutauras Lelevicius, the Horned Frogs scored the first points of the game—fittingly by Robinson. The Cyclones answered with the next five points, taking a lead they held for most of the first half. TCU managed to tie the game at 7-7 but didn’t retake the lead until the 1:45 mark, when Tanner Toolson converted a layup to put the Frogs ahead 29-28. However, as the clock ticked down, Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson converted a tough and-one layup as time expired but missed the free throw, sending the Cyclones into the break with a 30-29 lead.
The Cyclones opened the second half with four straight points, taking a five-point edge before Robinson converted two free throws to halt Iowa State’s run. Then, David Punch finally got going. After scoring only two points in the first half, Punch doubled his total in the first four minutes of the second, helping TCU retake the lead, 35-34.
A back-and-forth stretch followed over the next several minutes before Toolson began a mini takeover. As the Frogs’ offense stalled, Toolson brought energy by attacking Iowa State downhill and drawing fouls in the process. After two Toolson free throws tied the game at 41, he scored six of TCU’s next eight points during a 10-0 run that gave the Frogs a 49-41 lead.
Yet, TCU wasn’t up for long. The Cyclones battled back, going on a 10-0 run of their own to retake the lead. An Xavier Edmonds free throw stopped the bleeding, but Iowa State’s offense continued to click, scoring four more points to go up 55-50.
With 2:14 to play, a Robinson slam cut TCU’s deficit to three. On the ensuing possession, the Cyclones turned it over, and Jayden Pierre responded with a tough bucket to pull the Frogs within one. With the ball back in Iowa State’s hands, TCU’s defense proved too much, forcing a contested three-point heave that resulted in a shot-clock violation.
On the following possession, Pierre hit a step-back three to put TCU up by two—a lead they would never relinquish. With a chance to tie, Edmonds picked off a Tamin Lipsey pass and kicked it to Toolson, who found Robinson for a game-sealing slam. Three more Toolson free throws ultimately gave the Frogs the final seven-point advantage.
TCU held Iowa State to its lowest-scoring outing of the season, limiting the Cyclones to 55 points. Iowa State shot just 42.1 percent from the floor and 21.7 percent from three-point range while also turning the ball over 17 times. The Frogs shot just 40.4 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from long range but scored 19 points off Cyclones turnovers and got 15 points from the free-throw line compared to Iowa State’s two.
Robinson and Toolson each totaled 17 points for the Frogs. Toolson converted only three field goals but went 10-of-15 from the charity stripe. The duo also combined for 15 rebounds. Iowa State featured three double-digit scorers, as Jefferson and Lipsey finished with 12 points apiece while Milan Momcilovic added 11.
Up next, TCU travels to Stillwater to take on the 16-8 Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday, February 14 at 11:00 a.m. CT.
