MANHATTAN, Kan. – Iowa State hit 14 3-pointers, 8 of which came in the first half, as the Kansas State suffered its first Big 12 defeat in its last 10 Big 12 contests in falling to the Cyclones, 78-64, in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,528 fans at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
The loss snaps K-State’s 9-game winning streak in Big 12 play, which was the longest such streak in the Big 12 era and the longest regular-season conference winning streak in nearly 45 seasons since winning 11 consecutive games from Jan. 14 to Feb. 26, 1974 in the old Big Eight Conference.
The 14 made 3-point field goals by Iowa State (19-6, 8-4 Big 12) tied for the most by an opponent this season and the most since Texas also connected on 14 triples on Jan. 2, 2019. Overall, it tied for the third-most 3-point field goals by an opponent in school history, which has now been done a total of four times.
Iowa State connected on 52.7 percent (29-of-55) from the field, including 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from 3-point range. The Cyclones shot better than 50 percent in each half and dished out 19 assists on its 29 made field goals. Freshman Talen Horton-Tucker (6) and sophomore Lindell Wigginton (5) combined for 11 of the squad’s 14 treys, as Wigginton led the way with 23 points while Horton-Tucker added 20. Senior Marial Shayok posted a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
K-State (19-6, 9-3 Big 12) was led by senior guard Barry Brown, Jr., who scored a team-high 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-6 from the perimeter. The scoring output registers his fourth-consecutive 20-plus point game against the Cyclones and his 21st 20-plus point performance of his career, including his sixth this season. Junior Makol Mawien was only other Wildcat in double figures with 10 points and a team-high 7 rebounds.
As a team, the Wildcats connected on just 42 percent (21-of-51) from the field, including 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from 3-point range, while shooting 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the free throw line.
Saturday’s matchup marked the fourth ranked meeting between the two teams and the first since 2014, as the Wildcats fall to 1-3 under such a scenario. The loss ends a K-State three-game win streak against the Cyclones, with K-State owning the series history between the two schools at 140-88.
HOW IT HAPPENED
As expected, the teams traded blows in the early going before a 3-pointer by senior Barry Brown, Jr., gave K-State an 11-8 lead at the 13:24 mark. However, the Big 12’s top scoring offense going on the next possession, as a 3-pointer by senior Marial Shayok ignited an 11-0 run that forced head coach Bruce Weber to call his first timeout with Iowa State leading 19-11 with 9:48 remaining.
The Wildcats slowly chipped at the lead, using a 12-5 run to close the deficit to 24-24 on a 3 pointer from senior Kamau Stokes with 5:42 left before halftime. However, the Cyclones answered the run with a triple from freshman Talen Horton-Tucker on the next possession that started a personal 14-5 run that extended the lead to 38-28 with 1:21 remaining. Brown was able to close the gap to 38-31 at the break with a running 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Brown (16) and Horton-Tucker (14) were responsible for 30 of the 69 combined points on 12-of-16 shooting.
Iowa State connected on 50 percent (13-of-26) from the field, including 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from 3-point range, with 8 assists on 13 made field goals in the first half, while K-State shot 44 percent (11-of-25), including 37.5 percent (3-of-8) from long range.
Horton-Tucker continued his hot shooting in the second half, as he knocked down his fifth 3-pointer to give the Cyclones a double-digit lead (41-31) just 35 seconds into the half.
Later in the half, the Wildcats stormed back behind a 7-0 run that began with a 3-pointer from Brown. K-State then rattled off four more points, including a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Mike McGuirl, as the squad trailed by just two at 50-48 with 10:54 left in the game.
ISU continued its success from beyond the arc in the second half, as sophomore Lindell Wigginton connected on a pair of 3-pointers within a minute of each other, extending the lead to 63-58 with 6:07 left.
After the pair of 3-pointers, the Cyclones extended their lead in the final minutes, sprouting off a 10-0 run to bring the score to 74-60 at under two minutes. They would ride out the final to minutes to victory, defeating the Wildcats, 78-64, to snap a 3-game losing streak in the series.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Barry Brown, Jr. – The K-State senior registered his fourth-consecutive 20-point game against the Cyclones, while marking his 21st career game with 20-plus points and his sixth the season, scoring a team-high 23 points on 10-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
STAT OF THE GAME
14 – The Wildcats allowed 14 3-pointers on Saturday, tying a season-high. Iowa State shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) in the game, including 8 that came in the first half. This marks the second-time this season the Wildcats allowed 14 3-pointers, with their last coming in a loss against Texas on January 2.
