It is rare when a team outshines its opponent in nearly every facet of a game and then still has to eke out the win in the final minutes, but when Iowa State took on Texas on Jan. 26 at Hilton, that is exactly what happened.

In a game Iowa State (15-4, 5-2 Big 12) could ill afford to lose following a disappointing upset on the road at Texas Tech, the Cyclones held on late to defeat No. 19 Texas (14-6, 3-4 Big 12) by a score of 89-86.

That tally does not represent how thoroughly the Cyclones outplayed the visiting Longhorns, but does illustrate perfectly the complacency that plagued Iowa State after stretching out the second of two 21-point leads in the second half.

Iowa State held a 69-48 lead with eight minutes to play when Texas began to climb back into the game almost covertly. Nine missed free throws and two turnovers during the final five minutes after Texas had shaved the lead down to 13 points turned Hilton tenser than it had to be as the game drew to a close. 

The gap proved to large to bridge, however, even despite Texas scoring 47 points in the game’s final 11 minutes. An uncontested Texas bucket with under a second left cut the lead to three with no time remaining for the Longhorns to pull closer.

The Cyclones were vastly undersized as they battled an opponent that had allowed the third-lowest field goal percentage in the country, holding opponents to a clip under 35 percent.

The Longhorns employed their vaunted 2-3 zone scheme, which the Cyclones proceeded to pick apart immediately. It was the high post that proved to be the soft spot in the Texas lines of defense.

Time and again Iowa State found forwards Georges Niang and Jameel McKay in the high post, who then turned immediately to the baseline, dishing expertly and efficiently to each other and to fellow forward Dustin Hogue for a plethora of easy buckets at the rim.

Defensively, the Cyclones combated the enormity of the Texas front-line by double-teaming the paint consistently and frustrating the Texas bigs.

Guard Bryce Dejean-Jones produced perhaps his best game of the Big 12 season with 18 points, while Niang led the Cyclones with 19 points of his own.

Iowa State is back in action Jan. 30 against Texas Christian.