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 Then for the final three minutes, Iowa State made just enough
plays to hold on with white knuckles to an 89-86 victory over
19th-ranked Texas at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
"Down the stretch, that was crazy," Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg
said. "That was an absolutely crazy game. When we tried to take away
the penetration, they kicked it out for a 3. When we stayed out on
the shooter, they got to the rim."
Iowa State led by 11 coming out of halftime, and Cyclones forward
Georges Niang hit a 3-pointer to open second-half scoring. Forward
Dustin Hogue made a pair of free throws for a 41-25 edge, and Iowa
State eventually led by as many as 21 points.
Then Texas (14-6, 3-4) charged late, going on an 11-3 run sparked by
3-pointers from guard Javan Felix and forward Connor Lammert as the
Longhorns cut Iowa State's lead to six points with 2:06 left. Texas
began putting Iowa State on the free-throw line with more than three
minutes left and the Cyclones made 12 of 18 while watching their
lead shrink to three.
 Longhorns guard Jonathan Holmes hit a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left
to make it a one-possession game at 87-84.
"I think we did find out some things about ourselves tonight," Texas
coach Rick Barnes said. "We're not going to quit. i just like the
way our guys fought to get back in it."
Niang hit a key free throw with 20 seconds left and Iowa State
forward Jameel McKay grabbed a vital rebound with 10.2 seconds
remaining to help preserve the win.
Hoiberg said he was pleased with how well the Cyclones weathered the
storm as Texas scored 47 points in the final 11:16.
"Take your hat off to them," Hoiberg said. "They kept competing all
the way through the game. We were very fortunate to hold on."
After a rough weekend on the road, Iowa State played like their old
selves back on their home court for most of the night.
Iowa State (15-4, 5-2 Big 12) lost at Texas Tech on Saturday as the
Red Raiders erupted to a 19-point lead in the first half before
holding on for their first conference win this season.
The Cyclones rebounded Monday by shooting 54.7 percent from the
field overall and establishing a comfortable lead early in the
second half.
Niang led Iowa State with 19 points. Cyclones guard Bryce
Dejean-Jones scored 18, McKay had 14 and guard Monte Morris added
13.
Felix scored a game-high 20 points. Holmes added 17 points and 10
rebounds, guard Isaiah Taylor had 17 points and eight assists, and
forward Myles Turner contributed 16 points for the Longhorns.
During the late run, Taylor, who missed 10 games this season with a
fractured wrist, was as active as he's been since coming back from
the injury.
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"I thought Isaiah in the second half was terrific," Barnes said. "He
got in an attack mentality."
Texas lost its second straight conference game against a ranked foe
after falling to then-11th-ranked Kansas 75-62 Saturday. The
Longhorns will try to bounce back with another matchup versus a
ranked Big 12 opponent at 20th-ranked Baylor on Saturday.
Iowa State used a 12-2 run late in the first half to open up a
13-point lead.
Cyclones guard Naz Long hit a 3-pointer to start the surge, and
Niang followed with another trey. After Morris went through the lane
for a jumper, Niang threw alley-oop passes to McKay for two
consecutive baskets.
The second Niang-to-McKay connection put the Cyclones ahead 36-23
with 53 seconds left in the half, and Iowa State took a 36-25 edge
to the break.
Texas fell behind 10-2 due to cold early shooting, but the Longhorns
dug their way out of the initial hole. Turner, who had 10 first-half
points, tied the score at 14 with a layup.
However, the Longhorns shot just 32 percent in the first half and
committed seven turnovers, mitigating Texas' 22-15 rebounding edge
in the opening 20 minutes. Overall, Texas shot 47.1 percent from the
floor and outrebounded Iowa State 39-29.
NOTES: Entering Monday's game, Iowa State had not lost at home
against Texas since Fred Hoiberg became the Cyclones' head coach
before the 2010-11 season. However, Iowa State has not defeated the
Longhorns away from Hilton Coliseum in that time. ... This was the
third time Texas and Iowa State met when both were ranked in the Top
25. Iowa State won both of the previous matchups of ranked foes. ...
Texas came into the game ranked second nationally at 7.8 blocks per
game, just 0.3 blocks per outing less than national leader Kentucky
in that category. The Longhorns blocked eight shots against Iowa
State.
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