Cyclones fall short in final road game

Kyle Oppenhuizen

The good news for the ISU men’s basketball team: They won’t have to play another true road game in the Big 12 this year.

The bad news: They ended an 0-8 conference road campaign with an 81-75 double-overtime loss at Missouri on Wednesday.

Iowa State almost gave the game away in regulation, then fought back for the tie at the end of the first overtime. Missouri outscored the Cyclones, 12-6, to pull away in the second overtime period.

Point guard Diante Garrett followed his own miss with a short jumper, part of his career-high 20-point performance, with just 1.5 seconds left in the first overtime to tie the game at 69 points. Missouri had led by as much as six points in the period.

The Cyclones had a chance to win the game in regulation, holding a three-point lead with less than a minute to play. Leo Lyons converted a three-point play off a layup and Jiri Hubalek foul to tie the game at 62, and Iowa State then turned the ball over on the inbound pass to give Missouri a chance at the final shot, which Lyons missed.

DeMarre Carroll scored a career-high 26 points, including six in the second overtime. Lyons added 19 for the Tigers (16-14, 5-9 Big 12).

Iowa State (14-16, 4-11) was led by Garrett’s 20 points, along with Hubalek’s 15 and Craig Brackins’ 13.

The Cyclones, who have found ways to lose close road games all season, led by as much as 12 points in the second half, when they held a 41-29 lead with 16:31 left. The Tigers went on an 11-2 run in the next three-and-a-half minutes.

Iowa State has lost 10 of its last 12 games and sits at 11th in the Big 12, two games behind Missouri, with just one game remaining.

Iowa State will close out the regular season against Kansas State in Hilton Coliseum on Saturday.