AMES – No. 12 Iowa State (14-3, 5-1 Big 12) remained unbeaten at home with another victory over a nationally-ranked team, knocking off No. 7 Texas (15-3, 4-2 Big 12), 78-67 Tuesday night in Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State put the game away on a key stretch late in the second half. With a mere two-point lead at the 8:06 mark, the Cyclones held UT scoreless for nearly five minutes and increased their lead to 12 points with just under four minutes remaining.
The Cyclones had a balanced effort with four players in double figures, led by Jaren Holmes’ 21 points, and took care of the ball, tallying a season-low seven turnovers. It was Holmes’ third 20-point outing of the season.
The win gave ISU its fourth victory over a ranked opponent this season and the ninth in the two-year T.J. Otzelberger era.
Holmes, who had 12 of his 21 points in the second half, received help from Gabe Kalscheur, who poured in 16 points, and Caleb Grill, who netted 17, with 12 after intermission. Kalscheur and Grill each hit a trio of 3-pointers to help the Cyclones record nine in the game.
How It Happened
Texas raced out to a 20-11 lead at the second media timeout of the first half. The Longhorns made 8-of-their-first 13 shots from the field.
The Longhorns led by 11 points with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half until Kalscheur and Grill hit back-to-back treys followed by a pair of Holmes layups to cut the lead to 29-28.
Minutes later Kalscheur tied the game at 32 all with a corner trey. A Tamin Lipsey putback gave ISU its first lead since 2-0 (36-35) at the 1:06 mark where the score remained at the break. ISU closed the half on an 18-6 run.
Long-range shots from Holmes and Grill helped the Cyclones extend their lead to six points (47-41) early in the second half, but the Longhorns bounced back with six-straight points to tie the game at 47-47.
After UT took a brief lead, Kalscheur hit a 3-pointer and Holmes scored a bucket to push the Cyclones back out in front, 55-51 with under nine minutes remaining.
Clinging to a two-point lead, the Cyclones mounted a huge sequence. It started with a pair of free throws by Holmes followed by a leaping putback from Osunniyi and a trey from Grill to give the Cyclones a 64-55 lead with 4:33 remaining.
UT finally ended a five-minute scoring drought with a pair of free throws, but Holmes scored on a runner on the other end to give ISU a 67-57 lead with 2:52 left in the game. UT never got closer than seven points, as the Cyclones made their free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Top Performance
Osun Osunniyi had one of his best performances as a Cyclone. The big man scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. He also grabbed a team-high seven boards and had a block and a steal. His high-flying putback helped jumpstart ISU’s second-half rally to put the game away.
Notes
-Caleb Grill surpassed 700 points for his career.
-This marks the first time Iowa State has held six-straight conference opponents to 70 points or less since Jan. 26-Feb. 16, 2000.
-Iowa State’s win over Texas marks the second 5-1 start to Big 12 play in school history (1999-00).
-Iowa State’s win over Texas gave the Cyclones its first 10-0 start to the home schedule since the 2014-15 team won its first 14 games at home.
-T.J. Otzelberger moved into a tie for fifth in school history in wins over AP Top 25 (Ninth) and AP Top 10 (Third) opponents.
-The win over No. 7 Texas is the first win over an AP Top 10 opponent at Hilton Coliseum since beating No. 5 Kansas 77-60 on Jan. 5, 2019.
What’s Next
Iowa State travels to Oklahoma State on Saturday (Jan. 21). Tipoff is at 1 p.m. on Big 12 Now/ESPN+.
