Iowa State entered Saturday’s matchup with No. 18 Kansas State needing a win to stay in the Big 12 title race.

The Cyclones took care of business, improving to 19-6 (8-4 Big 12) on the season and keeping pace in the conference standings.

Raining 3-pointers

Iowa State led 38-31 at the halftime break, thanks in large part to an 8-for-14 shooting performance from beyond the 3-point line.

Freshman guard Talen Horton-Tucker dropped 14 points in the first half, including 4-of-6 shooting from deep. Redshirt senior Marial Shayok had eight points thanks to two big 3-pointers.

Iowa State ended the game 14-of-24 from beyond the 3-point line. Sophomore guard Lindell Wigginton went 5-of-6 and Horton-Tucker finished 6-of-9.

Finishing strong

When the Cyclones lost their first matchup of the season with Kansas State, it was largely due to a cold spell to end the game. Iowa State blew a 55-48 lead with five minutes remaining, scoring two points down the stretch en route to a 58-57 loss.

Once again, Iowa State led as the game came to a close.

This time, however, Iowa State slammed the book shut.

Leading 57-56 with seven minutes to play, Iowa State slowly increased its lead.

Shayok drove in for a layup, took a foul and hit a free throw for a 3-point play. Redshirt sophomore Cameron Lard slammed home a dunk. Horton-Tucker nailed a 3-pointer.

When it was all said and done, the Cyclones had reeled off a 17-4 run that lasted until the final two minutes of the game when Kansas State finally stopped the bleeding.

Iowa State went 5-of-7 to end the game and held Kansas State without a field goal for the final 5:03.

Looking ahead

Iowa State’s win keeps the Cyclones (8-4) locked in for the Big 12 race. Kansas State’s 9-3 record leads the league with six games to go.

Along with Iowa State and Kansas State at the top are Kansas and Texas Tech (both 9-4). Having already played one more game than Iowa State and Kansas State, those two teams each have byes this week before facing each other Saturday in Lubbock, Texas.

Iowa State has split the season series with Kansas and Kansas State. With its win over Texas Tech in January, the Cyclones are guaranteed a split or a sweep of Texas Tech, which could benefit the Cyclones in a tiebreaker scenario for the Big 12 Tournament.

Iowa State closes with a favorable schedule, as the Cyclones have a 75 percent chance or better in three of the final six games, per KenPom.

Additionally, the Cyclones have a 57 percent chance to win at Texas Christian (TCU) and 58 percent chance to beat Texas Tech on senior night. The March 2 matchup at Texas is a 50-50 toss-up, according to KenPom.

Iowa State hasn’t won the Big 12 regular season title — in a tie or outright — since the 2000-01 season. That year, Iowa State earned a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing to 15-seeded Hampton in the first round.