AMES – Jaz Kunc scored a career-high 22 points to lift No. 19 Iowa State past No. 22 TCU, 70-59, Wednesday evening at Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones, who never trailed in the game, won their seventh game of the season against an AP Top 25 foe. ISU improved to 17-8 overall and 8-5 in Big 12 Conference play. TCU drops to 17-9 overall and 6-7 in league play.
ISU made 15-of-17 free throws, while TCU was just 6-for-18 at the charity stripe.
How It Happened
Iowa State jumped out to a 10-0 run to start the game and led 15-2 with 14:33 remaining in the first half. TCU erased the lead with a 12-0 run of its own before Kunc connected on his second of four first-half threes in the half, putting ISU up 18-14. The Cyclones outscored the Horned Frogs, 17-10, the remainder of the half and went into the break leading 35-24 as Kunc knocked down a 3-pointer with 0:32 left before halftime.
Much like the first half, Iowa State controlled the first four minutes of the second half. The Cyclones opened the stanza with a 12-2 run, which included a six-point possession, to go up 47-26 with just over 17 minutes remaining.
The Frogs had a 10-0 run of their own but were never able to get closer than seven the rest of the game as the Cyclones cruised to the regular season sweep.
Top Performers
Kunc, who made his first start since Dec. 18 against Western Michigan, matched his career high with five 3-pointers, connecting on 5-of-8 from long distance and making 7-of-10 shots from the field. Kunc also had five rebounds in the game.
Jaren Holmes was the only other Cyclone to reach double figures, tallying 16 points
Notes
– Iowa State improved to 13-1 this season at Hilton Coliseum.
– The Cyclones won their seventh game against a ranked opponent, tying for the third-most in a single season in school history (1999-00).
– Tonight’s win was T.J. Otzelberger’s 12th against an AP Top 25 team as head coach of the Cyclones, which ties him with Larry Eustachy for fourth most in school history.
– Kunc reached double-digit scoring for the second consecutive game and sixth time this season.
– Osun Osunniyi pulled down five rebounds and went over 1,000 career rebounds.
Up Next
The Cyclones are on the road for the next two games, starting Saturday at No. 12 Kansas State. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN.
