AMES, Iowa (AP) — Georges Niang scored 19 points, Bryce Dejean-Jones had 18 and 15th-ranked Iowa State held off No. 19 Texas 89-86 on Monday night.
Jameel McKay had 14 points for the Cyclones (15-4, 5-2 Big 12), who bounced back from a loss at last-place Texas Tech by running up a huge lead that nearly slipped away.
Iowa State broke open a tight game with a 27-12 run and went ahead by 21 with 11:36 left. The Longhorns answered with a furious rally that pulled them to 87-84 on Jonathan Holmes’ 3-pointer with 22 seconds left.
Javan Felix scored 20 points and Isaiah Taylor had 17 for Texas (14-6, 3-4), which has dropped consecutive games for the second time this month.
The Cyclones and Longhorns were widely believed to be among the strongest challengers to Kansas’ 10-year hold on the Big 12 title. But Iowa State’s 78-73 loss to the Red Raiders on Saturday and the 75-62 defeat Texas took against the Jayhawks in Austin left each team searching for a response.
The Cyclones beat the Longhorns — barely — by going around them.
Iowa State compensated for a major size disadvantage by attacking the Longhorns’ zone with precise ball movement, and back-to-back alley-oops from Niang to McKay put the Cyclones ahead 36-23.
Niang opened the second half with a 3 to help Iowa State jump ahead 47-30, and a transition dunk by Monte Morris put the Cyclones up 51-33.
Still, it took free throws from Niang and McKay in the final 20 seconds to stave off what would have been a crushing defeat for Iowa State.
Morris had 13 points and six assists for Iowa State, which allowed 61 points in the second half.
Holmes had 17 points with 10 rebounds, and freshman Myles Turner scored in double figures for the fourth time in five games with 16 points.
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TIPS-INS
Texas: The Longhorns grabbed eight offensive rebounds in the first 12 minutes. … Felix and Taylor combined for 31 points in the second half.
Iowa State: The Cyclones stuck with their usual starting lineup and scored on their first five possessions. Iowa State let Texas Tech go ahead by 19 points in less than 13 minutes.
UP NEXT
Texas plays at Baylor on Saturday.
Iowa State hosts TCU on Saturday.
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