The Lowdown

Fresh off its first loss of the season, Iowa State had no time to think with a top-15 matchup awaiting the No. 8 Cyclones on Monday night at Hilton Coliseum. 

Iowa State (14-2, 2-2 Big 12) went back-and-forth with No. 15 Kansas (12-4, 3-0) throughout the first half, heading to halftime tied after senior guard DeAndre Kane hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. An early run in the second half by the Jayhawks, though, pushed them to a 77-70 victory. 

Kane, who was questionable to play entering the game after twisting his left ankle Saturday, started and scored 21 points while bringing in eight rebounds. Kane went to the ground late in the game with an apparent ankle injury, but re-entered in the final minutes. 

Melvin Ejim scored 15 points in the loss and Dustin Hogue added 13. The Cyclones shot just 22-of-68 from the field. 

Iowa State returns to the court Saturday when it takes on Texas in Austin, Texas.

Turning Point

In the first 2:05 of the second half, Kansas went on a 9-0 run led by a 3-pointer, two layups and a jump shot. The run followed a buzzer-beater from DeAndre Kane to end the first half, sending the teams to their locker rooms in a 36-36 deadlock.

Throughout the next 18 minutes of the second half, the Cyclones were only able to close within five points of the Jayhawks. Despite a late run in the final minutes, Kansas closed out the win, sending Iowa State to its second consecutive loss after starting 14-0. 

X Factor

Naadir Tharpe — The junior guard hardly missed Monday night, scoring 23 points. Tharpe scored 14 points in the first half on 5-of-5 shooting from the field. He added five of the nine Kansas points during the quick run to begin the second half. 

Tharpe ended the game 7-of-9 from the field.

By the Numbers

4 — Iowa State struggled beyond the arc, shooting 4-of-23 in the loss for a 18.2 3-point percentage. The Cyclones made six 3-pointers in Saturday’s loss against Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. 

56 — Tharpe and freshmen Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid combined for 56 of Kansas’ points in its victory. Wiggins scored 17 and Embiid added 16.