AMES – No. 14 Iowa State used a stingy defensive effort on the way to its 14th-straight win at Hilton Coliseum as it defeated TCU, 71-59, Saturday afternoon. The Cyclones move to 18-5 overall and 7-3 in Big 12 action while TCU drops to 16-7 overall and 5-5 in league play.
The Cyclones took advantage of a TCU scoring drought in the first half that lasted more than seven minutes as it gained separation and never gave up the lead, leading from start to finish for the second-straight game.
ISU shot 50 percent from the field in the game, making 8-of-19 3-pointers and going 15-for-18 at the free-throw line.
How It Happened
The first half featured a stifling defensive effort in the first 11 minutes as ISU jumped out a 20-8 lead and held the Horned Frogs to just three field goals during the stretch. TCU would claw back, closing the gap to four points at 24-20 with 3:00 remaining in the opening period. Rob Jones assisted on 3-pointers by Curtis Jones and Tamin Lipsey down the stretch and the Cyclones went into the break with a 30-22 lead.
Nine Cyclones scored in the first half led by Tre King’s nine points.
ISU extended the lead to 17 points in the second half before the Horned Frogs used a 10-0 run to get it down to 49-42 with just under 10 minutes left. But again, ISU had the answer with a run of its own to seal the victory.
Top Performers
Curtis Jones came off the bench to finish with 13 points, his 12th game of the season in double figures.
King led all Cyclone scorers with 15 points, finishing 6-for-7 at the line. Gilbert was also in double figures for ISU with 13 points to go along with seven assists.
Lipsey finished with seven points and six assists but saw his streak of 34 consecutive games with a steal come to an end. It was the longest streak in school history and the second-longest active streak in the nation.
Emanuel Miller scored a game-high 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting for TCU.
Up Next
The Cyclones travel to Big 12 newcomer Cincinnati for a Tuesday evening showdown. The contest will begin at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
