Published Jan 14, 2023
Cyclones fall at Kansas in close one
Roger Fritz
Special to Cyclone Report

The lone undefeated teams at the top of the Big 12, both at 4-0 in conference play, met in Lawrence Saturday afternoon, with the Jawhawks coming away with a 62-60 win.

KU came in ranked #2 in the nation and the Cyclones ranked #14. The Cyclones went up 5-0, but KU gained the lead at 15:27 of the first half and took as much as a seven-point lead in the first half. But the Cyclones clawed back, and went up 28-27 with a Demarion Watson 3 pointer with 11 seconds in the first half. But KU went coast to coast for a layup at the buzzer to take a 29-28 lead into the locker room.

The second half was a heavyweight bout as the teams traded their best punches. The game was tied 8 times, and had 15 different lead changes. Gabe Kalscheur, coming off the game winning 3-pointer earlier in the week at TCU, drained a trey with 35 seconds remaining, to tie the game at 60. But KJ Adams of Kansas made a jumper with 11 seconds left to provide the winning 2 for the Jawhawks. A Caleb Grill 3-point attempt for the win at the buzzer missed its mark.

The Cyclones struggled from the floor, shooting only 38% to KU's 46%. ISU's bench, which previously this year has been a font of scoring, netted only 9 today.

Kalscheur was ISU's leading scorer with 23. Osun Osunniyi had 14. No other Cyclone hit double digits.

Coupled with previously undefeated in conference play Kansas State losing to TCU, Kansas moves to the lone spot atop the Big 12 with a 5-0 record, 16-1 overall. Iowa State drops to 4-1 in the Big 12, 13-3 overall. Next up for the Cyclones are the Texas Longhorns, coming to Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday at 7 p.m.