FORT WORTH — Nothing went by the script for TCU on Wednesday, so JD Miller deciding on the spot to fly by the seat of his own basketball trousers seemed, oddly, scripted.
Miller took the inbounds pass near midcourt with 5.6 seconds left and the game tied and, instead of finding guard Kendric Davis, put the ball on the floor and drove to the basket, looping a running, fall-away jumper over the outstretched hand of Yor Anei for the game-winning points as time ticked to zero.
The Horned Frogs’ 70-68 victory at Schollmaier Arena prompted a spontaneous, unrehearsed celebration for a team that desperately needed a good experience after consecutive blowout losses last week.
“To be truly honest, the play was not supposed to go to me,” Miller said. “I was supposed to pass back to KD [Kendric Davis], but it just so happened it happened and it worked out great.”
Officials were ad libbing, too. As the Frogs went to the student section for the alma mater, and Oklahoma State left for its locker room — both after the postgame handshake — the officiating crew went to the video. Turned out there were .3 seconds left.
It wasn’t enough for the Cowboys.
Desmond Bane devoured the Cowboys’ zone defense with a game-high 26 points. Kouat Noi (12), Miller (11) and Alex Robinson (10) were also in double figures.
Robinson, who also had 11 assists, became the school’s all-time leader in assists, passing Corey Santee with 583. Bane also reached a benchmark in points, scoring the 1,000th of his college career.
The Cowboys, pressed to the limit with manpower issues, seemed to be a timely arrival for TCU, coming off complete meltdowns to Texas Tech and Baylor on the road.
TCU (16-6, 4-5 Big 12) led by as many as 13 early in the second half, but a 17-2 run by Oklahoma State (9-13, 2-7) erased the advantage and then some.
TCU regained the lead at 1:16 on Bane’s layup, and his two free throws with 24 seconds left increased the Frogs’ lead to three, 68-65.
Oklahoma State’s Thomas Dziagwa hit a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game with 5.6 seconds left.
Yor was the difference in getting the Cowboys back in the game, playing “out of his mind,” as TCU coach Jamie Dixon said, scoring a team-high 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting.
While Yor made everything within 10 feet, TCU had trouble putting the ball in the basket from anywhere. The Frogs shot 32 percent in the second half.
“He made a tough play over one of our best defenders, probably one of best shot blockers in the conference, even country,” Dziagwa said of Miller’s game-winner. “He made a tough shot, going away from the basket.
“I bet the percentages on that shot aren’t very high, so we just have to tip our hats. If they deserve it, they deserve it.”
Certainly, nothing has gone as scripted for Oklahoma State, competing with only seven scholarship players after coach Mike Boynton dismissed Michael Weathers, Maurice Calloo and Kentrevious Jones.
The Cowboys went with six players in the second half against TCU.
“It is what it is,” said Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton. “We got to figure it out. If it’s six, if it’s five, the job is to go out there and out-execute the other team.”
Thus, this struggle to the end wasn’t the way the Frogs scripted a resurgence, though no one was complaining.
A win is a win is a win, especially in the Big 12.
On the other hand, there is a new hope that spontaneity turns out to be the spice.
“I think it swings momentum in our favor. Any play that like, any game like that … we needed it,” Robinson said. “I think it will be big for us going on the road Saturday.”
The Frogs head off to Iowa State for a game on Saturday. They return home Monday for Kansas.
“I still feel like we’re in the running to compete for the Big 12 championship,” Robinson said. “We have a lot of home games left [five]. If we go on a run, we’re still in it.”
After all, the Big 12 race – Texas bit Baylor on Wednesday — hasn’t gone according to script, either.