The Cyclones got a break from Big 12 play Saturday, but it wasn’t a break by any means.

No. 14 Iowa State (16-5 overall) traveled to College Station, Texas, to take on No. 5 Texas A&M (18-3 overall) in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Aggies, were able to stay perfect at home on the season, beating the Cyclones 72-62 and bouncing back from a road loss at unranked-Arkansas earlier in the week.

The game bounced back and forth through the first half, with neither team able to take more than a four-point lead. To end the half, though, Deonte Burton came up with a huge dunk at the buzzer to cap a 6-0 run for the Cyclones. They would head into the locker room tied 30-30.

The Cyclones opened up the second half on a 4-0 run, giving them a four point lead early in the half — their largest lead of the day at that point. The Aggies quickly responded, though, tying the game up almost instantly.

Midway through the second half, the Aggies went on a 9-4 run — hitting three 3-pointers in a row to take a four-point lead with just more than 11 minutes left in the game. During that run, Georges Niang picked up his fourth foul, and was forced to take a seat on the bench.

Then, a huge Burton dunk, paired with a Matt Thomas corner three and a McKay put back gives the Cyclones a 7-0 run and a three point lead with just less than 10 minutes left in the game.

The game bounced back and forth until the 3:01 mark, where ISU coach Steve Prohm called a timeout after the Aggies jumped up to a 61-58 lead. The Aggies would make a move shortly after, adding four quick points. Niang would hit a pair of free throws, but would foul out of the game on the next play with 1:39 left in the game.

Texas A&M capitalized, and put together a 12-2 run spanning over three-minutes, giving them a 68-60 lead with 55.9 seconds left in the game. From there, they would ride out their lead to a 10-point win.

The Cyclones will take the court again on Tuesday when they host No. 9 West Virginia, who also fell to Florida on Saturday.