TCU looked like it was ready to secure a massive upset win on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Darryn Peterson, somehow, found a way to fend the Horned Frogs off down the stretch.
Peterson scored a career-high 32 and helped spark a ridiculous 20-6 run to end regulation and force overtime in Lawrence, which eventually allowed No. 22 Kansas to escape its home floor with a 104-100 win over TCU. That gave the Jayhawks their first conference win of the season and avoided what would have been a second straight loss, something Kansas hasn’t done to start Big 12 play since the early 1990s.
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Though Kansas looked like it was in full control in the first half, things quickly spiraled after the break. The Horned Frogs outscored Kansas 31-10 to open the second half, and even mounted an 18-3 run over a four-minute span. That put them up by 14 points near the midway point of the period, and they held onto a nine-point lead with 74 seconds left in the second half.
But Kansas, finally coming back alive, answered with back-to-back 3-pointers from Jamari McDowell and Melvin Council, who completed a four-point play after drawing a foul, to immediately cut the deficit to a single possession. Then Peterson drew a foul with less than two seconds left on an off-balanced 3-pointer that sent him to the free-throw line, where he tied the game up to send it into overtime.
Kansas opened the extra period on a 10-4 run and survived in the final minute to pull out the four-point win.
Liutauras Lelevicius led TCU with 23 points, and David Punch finished with 20 and nine rebounds. Micah Robinson added 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
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Had TCU (11-4) held on in regulation, it would have marked its second win over a ranked opponent this season after its four-point win over Florida in November. Tuesday night was the first of a rough stretch for the Horned Frogs as they’ll host No. 1 Arizona on Saturday and then take on No. 9 BYU next week.
The true bright side for Kansas throughout the game — other than the rally that brought them back into contention — was Peterson’s return. Peterson, who had missed seven straight games with a hamstring injury and cramps, came back Saturday and played 23 minutes in Kansas’ loss to UCF off the bench. He made it back into the starting lineup and looked like his old self Tuesday even before the late heroics.
Peterson had six rebounds and shot 8-of-18 from the field to go with his 32 points. Tre White added 22 for the Jayhawks. Melvin Council Jr. added 18 points and eight assists.
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While it took a lot to get it there, Kansas (11-4) avoided what would have been a historic loss that could have sent its season into a spiral.
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