National Basketball Association
Iowa State 92, Kansas 89
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 4, 2017
Where: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
Officials:
# Darron George, # Gerry Pollard, # Mike Stuart
Attendance:
16300
By The Sports Xchange
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Asked to give an opening statement after a startling basketball win at Kansas can be a tough act.
Steve Prohm stammered through something and could not contain his emotions. Later in his postgame remarks, the Iowa State coach was asked about those feelings while summarizing the Cyclones' 92-89 overtime upset.
"It's a tough business, man," Prohm said. "You do this because you want to see your guys be happy."
All too often against ranked opponents the Cyclones came up short. In five previous defeats to teams ranked in the top 20, including four in the top 10, Iowa State fell by 4.4 points on average.
Against the No. 3 Jayhawks, however, clutch shots were made, including a 3-pointer by backup junior guard Donovan Jackson with 28 seconds remaining in overtime to give Iowa State (14-8, 6-4 Big 12) the lead for good.
"It was amazing. We were just a fortunate team," said senior guard Monte Morris, who delivered the assist on Jackson's jumper and added two free throws with 7.5 seconds left to finish with 25 points and seven assists.
"It could have went either way. It was a very emotional day for myself and my seniors, because we've come up short before."
Two other senior guards, Deonte Burton and Naz Mitrou-Long, added 25 and 22 points, respectively, as Iowa State became the first program in the Bill Self coaching era at Kansas to win two games in Allen Fieldhouse.
The loss was just the 10th at home for Self in 13-plus seasons at Kansas. The Jayhawks' string of 51 consecutive wins in Allen Fieldhouse and 54 officially at home, the longest string in the country, was halted. So too was their 37-game win streak at home against Big 12 rivals.
The Cyclones last won at Kansas in 2005 and became just the sixth Big 12 opponent to beat one of Self's teams in Lawrence.
"We were frustrated and disappointing," Prohm said of the 14-point deficit Iowa State faced at halftime. "We scored right around 40, so that should be enough, but we weren't defending and playing without any toughness. They were just beating us off the dribble, scoring at the glass, beating us with layups.
"But these guys responded. There's no other better place to respond in America than Allen Fieldhouse as a road team."
The Cyclones drained 10 3-pointers in the second half, including four each from Burton and Mitrou-Long.
Kansas (20-3, 8-2) still had a chance to win at the end of regulation. Senior guard Frank Mason III dribbled out top until the six-second mark, then got off a contested 10-footer that bounded off.
The miss was the first by Mason on 10 attempts. He also missed his only attempt in overtime, finishing with a career-best 32 points. He added six rebounds and five assists.
Mason forged an 82-82 tie with 50.2 seconds left in regulation when he made the second half of a two-shot foul. Neither team scored on its final possessions, requiring the overtime session.
"We don't lose at home," said senior center Landen Lucas, who also set a career-best with 18 rebounds. "That's something that's harder to digest, but at the same time you have to look at the bigger picture. While it's tough, we've got to make sure we're a better team after this."
That opportunity comes quickly, on Monday, when Kansas travels to Kansas State. The Wildcats' 56-54 upset win Saturday at Baylor enabled the Jayhawks to retain a one-game lead atop the Big 12.
The Jayhawks must continue to deal with off-court distractions, which mounted this past week from legal incidents that have surfaced.
"We talk about eliminating them," said Self, "and let the basketball court be your place where you don't think about anything other than what you do and stuff like that, but I think that's also easier said than done when everyone else is talking."
Junior guard Svi Mykhailiuk added 17 points for the Jayhawks, while freshman guard Josh Jackson contributed 15 points and 10 boards for his third straight double-double.
Mason scored 14 first-half points on 4-of-4 shooting and also distributed five assists to help the Jayhawks gain a 52-38 lead at the break.
Mason continually broke free of traps to either kick the ball to the corner and finish at the rim. His effort contributed to 70.4 percent shooting by the Jayhawks.
Kansas was so hot, the smaller Cyclones finished the first half with three rebounds. They grabbed their first carom at the 19:02 mark, then failed to grab another board until a tip-in by sophomore guard Nick Weiler-Babb with 2:26 left.
Morris and Burton each scored 10 first-half points for Iowa State. Mykhailiuk added 13 points for Kansas, which ended the half with a 23-13 run and made four its last five shot attempts.
Top Game Performances
Iowa State |
|
Kansas |
Deonte Burton 29 |
Scoring |
Frank Mason 32 |
Monte Morris 7 |
Assists |
Frank Mason 5 |
Deonte Burton 8 |
Rebounds |
Landen Lucas 18 |
Monte Morris 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Frank Mason 10 |
Deonte Burton 6 |
Steals |
Devonte' Graham 2 |
Deonte Burton 1 |
Blocks |
Landen Lucas 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Iowa State
|
92 |
50.0 |
18-34 |
10-14 |
14 |
24 |
3 |
12 |
11 |
Kansas
|
89 |
50.0 |
10-22 |
19-27 |
14 |
42 |
2 |
6 |
21 |