No. 14 Iowa State holds off late Texas rally and earns 70-65 road victory
Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey (3) drives against Texas guard Tyrese Hunter (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Credit: AP/Eric Gay
AUSTIN, Texas — Iowa State had watched a 18-point lead dwindle to three in the final minutes. Texas' Dylan Disu could not miss and the roaring Longhorns' home crowd was on its feet.
Three days after a crushing loss at Baylor, the No. 14 Cyclones looked ripe for another huge letdown. Instead, they found just the plays and big shots they needed to pull out a tough 70-65 win on Tuesday night.
Milan Momcilovic scored 13 points for Iowa State and Tamin Lipsey scored 12, including a key 3-pointer late that helped end the Texas rally.
“Our guys certainly stepped up today. We knew how tough, how physical they would be,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said.
The Cyclones led 49-31 only to see Texas claw its way back behind Disu, who scored 28 points, including 16 in a row in one stretch of the second half.
Disu's two free throws got Texas within 62-59 before the Cyclones, who struggled to shoot the entire second half, answered with a free throw from Momcilovic and Lipsey's 3-pointer, and then a dunk by Tre King with 15 seconds left. King had missed an open layup on the previous possession.
Curtis Jones gave Iowa State (17-5, 6-3 Big 12) the final cushion it needed with two free throws with five seconds to play. Lipsey scored 12 for Iowa State.
Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey (3) shoots over Texas forward Kadin Shedrick (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Credit: AP/Eric Gay
The Cyclones held Texas (15-8, 4-6) to just 19 points in the first half. Longhorns guard Max Abmas, the NCAA scoring leader among active players, finished with 13 points after being held scoreless in the first half and was just 3 of 11 shooting.
“We can't give up a whole half like that and expect to win,” Abmas said.
Disu nearly brought Texas back by himself. He made Texas' first 3-pointer, then followed it with three-point play that had the Longhorns within 57-49 with just over six minutes to play.
“Great players, once they start seeing it go through, it looks like the hoop is so big,” Otzelberger said. “He had it rolling their a little bit. We were fortunate to get the stops we did.”
Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert (10) is defended by Texas guard Max Abmas (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. Credit: AP/Eric Gay
BIG PICTURE
Iowa State: The Cyclones have struggled on the road, like many teams in the Big 12 this season, and will feel relieved they didn't let this one get away. They earned a split on a tough trip to the Lone Star state after dropping the two-point loss at Baylor on Saturday.
And winning in Austin is rare for Iowa State. The Cyclones had lost eight in a row and 14 of its last 15 games there.
“We had a tough game up there (at Baylor). We wanted to bounce back right away and take our aggression out on the next team,” Lipsey said.
Texas: The Longhorns have been the Big 12's best road team this season with four victories. They can't seem to protect their home court. Texas dropped its fourth home loss in Big 12 play. Texas went 3-3 overall in six consecutive games against ranked opponents.
ROUGH PATCH
Texas junior guard Tyrese Hunter, who transferred from Iowa State after earning Big 12 freshman of the year honors, has struggled the last three games, with just 11 points in that stretch. He had seven assists Tuesday night, but did not score and had a turnover that set up Lipsey's dagger 3-pointer.
UP NEXT
Iowa State: Hosts TCU on Saturday.
Texas: Hosts West Virginia on Saturday.
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