Iowa State (10-4, 2-1 Big 12) beat Texas (7-8, 1-2 Big 12) 79-70 on Saturday night at Hilton Coliseum, bouncing back from a two-point road loss to No. 2 Baylor last Wednesday.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Prohm happy with defensive success

Iowa State coach Steve Prohm put a focus on defense this season. He said that from his first interview back at the team’s media day earlier this fall, and he’s said it nearly every week this season.

The Cyclones’ defensive success showed against Texas. They held the Longhorns to just 70 points and had a season-high 12 steals on the night.

And after Iowa State’s win against Texas, Prohm said he’s happy with how their defense has changed throughout the season. Had fans watched their closed scrimmage against Nebraska before the season started, he said, they would have seen a very different defense.

“We’re getting there,” Prohm said. “I know that makes people nervous being good defensively. But I just think you need to be to win big games, to win on the road, to put yourself in a position to sustain it night in night out, you have to be good defensively.”

After Saturday’s win, KenPom.com ranked Iowa State as the 16th best defense in the country. And now that his defense is close to where he wants it to be, Prohm’s focus is starting to shift to another problem.

“I think they understand now. They’re playing hard and they’re defending,” Prohm said. “Now in close games, collectively, from me down to the last guy, we have to do a better job finishing games.”

Cameron Lard arrives

After months of speculation, Iowa State 4-star recruit Cameron Lard is finally in Ames.

The forward from Pro Vision Academy in Houston, Texas, arrived in Ames on Saturday before the Cyclones’ game against Texas and got some shots in before the game.

Lard, however, did not meet with the media Saturday, citing a coach’s decision. Prohm said he plans to meet with Lard on Sunday, and then slowly start to integrate him into the team’s workouts and practices. He is immediately eligible to play for the Cyclones, but Prohm said he isn’t likely to see any playing time this season.

However, he didn’t rule it out.

“That’s something that we’ve got to look at,” Prohm said earlier this week. “If he’s seriously going to make a difference, then that’s something that we’ve got to seriously look at. That’s a long way off, but it’s something that we would look at.”

Prohm tweaking lineup

Iowa State center Merrill Holden, who began this season as a starter, didn’t see the court at all on Saturday. 

Holden was replaced in the starting lineup five games ago by fellow senior Darrell Bowie and has only averaged 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game so far this year. Bowie played just 19 minutes, and Solomon Young — who has replaced Holden in the post at times this season — only played six minutes. 

Prohm said the decision to sit Holden was simply a basketball decision and not a disciplinary one. 

“You just have to play who you feel,” Prohm said. “That’s what I’m doing now. We’re getting into the meat of our schedule but we’re playing as good as we have all year right now I think on both ends of the floor.”

Prohm also had high praise for guard Donovan Jackson, who finished with four points and two rebounds in his 22 minutes on the court Saturday. 

While that statline might not impress many on paper, it’s what Jackson is doing on the court that stands out to Prohm. 

“He can defend the way I really envision us as a team collectively defending,” Prohm said. “He does a great job on the ball. He did a great job, he got beat one time on [Baylor’s Manu] Lecomte the other night, but he’s done a great job … I love his defense. That’s probably the best thing he’s doing for us right now. And then making good offensive plays and not forcing things offensively.”