The 20th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones entered Saturday needing a win to keep pace for the lead in the Big 12 standings.

Thanks to a strong second half, the Cyclones (17-5, 6-3 Big 12) entered the halfway point on a high note after beating Texas (12-10, 4-5 Big 12) by a final score of 65-60.

Iowa State led 31-27 at halftime, thanks to lockdown defense which held Texas to 40.7 percent shooting.

The Cyclones were led early by redshirt junior Michael Jacobson, who tallied nine points in the first half. Freshman guard Talen Horton-Tucker pitched in with eight points and four rebounds before the break.

Texas took a three-point lead in the second half but the Cyclones kept it close. Redshirt senior Nick Weiler-Babb banked in a bucket with 1:02 to play to give Iowa State a 61-58 lead.

After Texas’ Matt Coleman III missed on the other end, Iowa State redshirt senior Marial Shayok drained a pull-up jumper to give the Cyclones a five-point lead. Iowa State closed it out with free throws to win the game.