Tuesday’s loss to South Dakota State will leave a sour taste in the mouths of ISU men’s basketball players heading into the holidays.

The Jackrabbits (6-8) took a 38-36 lead with 16:41 left, and Iowa State (7-4) spent the rest of the game trying to catch up in a 65-58 loss at Hilton Coliseum.

The Cyclones struggled shooting, making only 6-of-20 shots from beyond the arc and shooting only 37.7% for the game. Iowa State was 12 for 21 on free throw attempts.

Craig Brackins had a team-high 18 points for Iowa State, but only one other player, Lucca Staiger, scored in double digits.

Clint Sargent had a team-high 18 points for South Dakota State, and Anthony Cordova was close behind with 17.

Iowa State was outshot, outrebounded and had more turnovers than South Dakota State. This is the Cyclones’ third loss in four games, with losses over in-state rivals Drake and Iowa and a win over Jacksonville State.

Iowa State got within two points off of two Craig Brackins’ free throws with 35 seconds left, capping an 8-1 run. But the Jackrabbits countered with a dunk by Kai Williams and free throw by Sargent to put the lead back up to five with 19 seconds remaining.