Jan 18, 2015
Iowa State sends No. 9 Kansas to first Big 12 loss
Naz Long poured in 20 points and Georges Niang added 15, leading 11th-ranked Iowa State to an 86-81 win over No. 9 Kansas on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum. Dustin Hogue chipped in 14 points for Iowa State (13-3, 3-1 Big 12), which bounced back from a 74-73 loss at Baylor on Wednesday. The Cyclones extended their home winning streak to 16 games, including nine straight against conference opponents.
The Sports Network
Ames, IA (SportsNetwork.com) - Naz Long poured in 20 points and Georges Niang added 15, leading 11th-ranked Iowa State to an 86-81 win over No. 9 Kansas on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.
Dustin Hogue chipped in 14 points for Iowa State (13-3, 3-1 Big 12), which bounced back from a 74-73 loss at Baylor on Wednesday. The Cyclones extended their home winning streak to 16 games, including nine straight against conference opponents.
Perry Ellis scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Kansas (14-3, 3-1), which entered the contest as the last unbeaten team in conference play. The Jayhawks had a five-game winning streak stopped.
"They were a lot faster than us," said Kansas coach Bill Self. "I think they surprised us early in the game by getting it out quick and beating us a couple of possessions down the floor. We didn't do a good job of that at all. They outplayed us."
Iowa State extended a three-point halftime advantage to 12 points just over five minutes into the second half, as Niang's layup made it 51-39. Kansas, though, followed with a 14-4 run and pulled within 55-53 on a Kelly Oubre Jr. dunk with 9 1/2 minutes remaining.
A Jameel McKay dunk then ignited a 16-4 Iowa State surge. McKay added four more points during the burst, which also featured triples from Niang and Long. Long's layup capped it and gave the Cyclones a 71-57 cushion with 6 1/2 minutes to play.
Kansas again rallied and a bucket by Oubre made it 74-70, but Iowa State countered with a quick layup by Monte Morris, got a stop and added a Hogue dunk for an eight-point game.
The Jayhawks didn't quit and pulled within 82-79 in the final minute thanks to some poor free throw shooting by Iowa State. Morris made the second of two free throws for a two-possession game, but Wayne Selden was called for a charge at the other end with 14 seconds remaining.
Bryce Dejean-Jones continued the Iowa State trend by making 1-of-2 at the line, but Frank Mason III missed a runner in the lane for Kansas and Long sealed it with two at the stripe.
"We are really struggling from the free throw line right now," said Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg. "We'll keep working on them. It would have been nice to keep that (lead) at double digits, but Kansas does that to you. It's a team that knows how to win and the game's not over until the buzzer sounds."
Mason led the Jayhawks with 21 points and Selden added 12 in defeat.
Dejean-Jones scored 12 points, while McKay and Morris each finished with 11. Morris also contributed 10 assists and a matched a career high with seven rebounds.
Kansas opened an 8-3 lead early, but Iowa State quickly answered with eight of the next 10 for an 11-10 lead and it remained close until the final minutes of the first half. The Cyclones opened a 34-28 lead on a Hogue 3-pointer with 1:49 left, but Kansas responded with five straight before Long's basket sent Iowa State to the break with a 36-33 edge.
Game Notes
Iowa State has won the last two meetings after dropping five in a row to the Jayhawks. The teams will meet again on Feb. 2 at Allen Fieldhouse ... Iowa State is 40-2 at Hilton Coliseum in the last three seasons. Both losses have come against Kansas ... Morris notched his first career double-double and his fourth career game with double-figure assists ... Iowa State will next host Kansas State on Tuesday ... Kansas will return home Monday to play Oklahoma.