Iowa State preached that taking care of the ball would be key in a game against No. 7 West Virginia. And on Tuesday night, they did that to an extent — but it wasn’t enough. 

The Cyclones (13-8, 5-4 Big 12) turned the ball over 16 times, a good number considering West Virginia (18-4, 6-3 Big 12) averages 22.7 takeaways per game, but they still fell 85-72 at Hilton Coliseum. 

The Cyclones immediately felt the pressure from the Mountaineers’ famed full-court press. 

Iowa State turned the ball over five times in the first five minutes of the game and ended the first half with 10 turnovers. Despite the blunders, the Cyclones managed to fight and claw to stay in contention. 

Boosted by a 57 shooting percentage in the first 20 minutes, Iowa State overcome an early double-digit deficit, even while star point guard Monte Morris sat on the bench for his regular four-minute break. 

The Cyclones trailed by just four heading into halftime. 

Iowa State stayed within a possession of West Virginia for the majority of the first 10 minutes of the second half. But, in similar fashion to their game against Kansas, the Cyclones just couldn’t get over the hump. 

The Mountaineers finally started to climb away down the stretch. Over a three-minute stretch, West Virginia went on a 9-0 run and grabbed a double-digit lead. Iowa State failed to mount a meaningful comeback.  

Matt Thomas had another big game, putting up 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds.