The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
20-6, 9-4Big 12
Iowa State
20-5, 8-5Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 27 | 49 | 76 |
| Iowa State | 36 | 49 | 85 |
No. 19 Men's Basketball falls 85-76 at No. 17 Iowa State
02.18.2014 | Men's Basketball
Isaiah Taylor had 26 points to lead the Longhorns.
AMES, Iowa -- Melvin Ejim scored 25 points and DeAndre Kane added 22 to help No. 17 Iowa State beat 19th-ranked Texas 85-76 on Tuesday night for its fifth victory in six games.
Georges Niang had 20 points for the Cyclones (20-5, 8-5 Big 12), who clinched their third straight 20-win season under coach Fred Hoiberg.
Iowa State outscored Texas 25-12 late in the second half to pull away and move within a game of the second-place Longhorns in the Big 12. They were keyed by Ejim, who had his second-best scoring game of the season.
Isaiah Taylor had 26 points to lead the Longhorns (20-6, 9-4), who've followed up a seven-game winning streak by splitting their last four.
Even though Texas shot just 33 percent from the floor, it still hit some big shots in the second half. The Longhorns could barely miss from the line either.
Javan Felix hit a 3 to match a crowd-energizing one from Matt Thomas, and Connor Lammert did as well with Iowa State on the verge of going ahead by double digits with 8:08 left.
Texas also hit its first 16 free throws and 23 of 25 overall to hang close. But Jonathan Holmes finally missed with 6:26 left, and Niang's ensuing putback gave Iowa State a 75-65 lead.
Holmes and Cameron Ridley, who combined for 39 points and 18 rebounds in an 86-76 Texas win over Iowa State last month, teamed up for just 18 points and 14 rebounds on Tuesday.
Felix had 16 points, but he needed 22 shots to get there.
The Cyclones had struggled of late on defense. They let up 102 points in a loss at West Virginia on Feb. 10 -- and followed that up by blowing an 18-point home lead against Texas Tech.
Iowa State's first defensive stand against the Longhorns was a disaster.
It got better from there, though.
The Cyclones allowed four consecutive offensive rebounds by Texas to open play, and Kane went to the bench with a neck injury. But Kane returned in time to hit Iowa State's first basket, and the Cyclones soon took a lead it would hold for most of the half.
Monte Morris found Ejim for an alley-oop to help Iowa State push its lead to 36-27, and his reverse dunk from the baseline made it 43-33.
But Texas, which shot a dreadful 10 of 37 from the floor in the first half, hit six of their next 10 to pull even at 48-all with just over 14 minutes to go.
The Longhorns didn't have an answer for Ejim though -- and Kane and Niang also had their way with the Texas defense.
Kane added five assists and seven rebounds without a turnover.
POSTGAME NOTES
• Texas shot a season-high 92.0 percent (23-of-25) from the free-throw line.
• Texas trailed Iowa State 36-27 at halftime … the Longhorns are 5-5 this season when trailing their opponent at the halfway point.
• UT posted a 44-35 advantage on the glass. Texas has outrebounded 21 of its first 26 opponents and is 17-4 in those games.
• Texas had three or more players register two or more blocked shots for the fourth time this season.
• Texas had three players in double figures for the 25th time this year. UT has had at least three players score in double figures in 25 of the first 26 games this season.
Javan Felix
• Reached double figures in scoring (16 points) for the 17th time this season and 26th time in his career (59 games).
• Made four 3-pointers (4-of-14) for the second straight game. Over the last three games, Felix is averaging 20.3 ppg (22-of-52 FG, 14-of-33 3FG) in 33.0 minutes per game.
Jonathan Holmes
• Reached double figures in scoring (14 points) for the 19th time this season and 37th time in his career (87 games).
• Led Texas in rebounding (nine) for the sixth time this season … was one rebound shy of collecting his fifth career double-double.
Isaiah Taylor
• Recorded his fourth 20-point game with a team-high 26 points … led Texas in scoring for the eighth time this year.
• Reached double figures in scoring for the seventh straight game and 21st time this year (26 games).
• Matched his season high with eight assists.
• Was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, the best performance at the stripe by a Longhorn this season.
• Over the last seven games, Taylor is averaging 19.1 ppg (43-of-95 FG, 47-of-50 FT) in 33.4 mpg.
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