No. 15 Iowa State hangs on to defeat No. 19 Texas

For 37 minutes, the 15th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones rolled the way they like to on their home court.

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.

“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,