Steve Prohm made a long-term commitment to improving Iowa State's defense for games where the offense just isn't working so well. Saturday was one of those games.
The No. 20 Cyclones got big shots late from seniors Nick Weiler-Babb and Marial Shayok to down Texas, 65-60, in a Big 12 grinder at Hilton Coliseum. The win improved I-State to 6-3 in the conference and 17-5 overall. ISU plays at Oklahoma on Monday night.
Iowa State led by as many as 13 points in the first half and was up by eight with less than three minutes to play. But it took some defensive stops and shot-making to come back after surrendering the lead to the Longhorns earlier in the second half.
Weiler-Babb's three tied the game at 48-48 with 5:16 to go after UT had used an 11-1 run to turn a seven-point Cyclone lead into a three-point Horn advantage. The bucket triggered an 11-0 spree for Iowa State with Lindell Wigginton converting a four-point play, Shayok making two free throws and Tyrese Haliburton turning a Cameron Lard blocked shot in a layup at the other end for a 56-48 I-State lead with 3:13 to go.
The teams traded threes and then Texas clawed back with seven straight points to get within one at 59-58 with less than a minute-and-a-half to play. Weiler-Babb delivered another key hoop as he kissed one off the glass from left on the lane to give the Cyclones a three-point lead at 61-58 with 1:04 to go. After a defensive stop, Shayok shook off a 2-of-13 shooting ledger to that point to hit a mid-range jumper and extend Iowa State's lead to five at 63-58 with 25 seconds to go.
Texas' Kerwin Roach made two free throws on the Horns' next possession to make it a one-possession game at 63-60. But Shayok was fouled on the in-bounds pass and drained two free throws to put I-State on top, 65-60, with 13.4 seconds left in the game. A missed Texas three and ISU defensive rebounded sealed the deal.
Iowa State led, 31-27, at halftime. But the Cyclones had a double-digit lead for a good portion of the opening 20 minutes, including their biggest lead of 22-9 on a deep three by Talen Horton-Tucker with 8:49 to go before halftime. But the visiting Longhorns used primarily an effective 2-3 zone to hold ISU to nine points the rest of the half and get within four at intermission.
Horton-Tucker led Iowa State scorers with 15 points. Shayok had 12 with Weiler-Babb and Lard each scoring 11 as ISU had four players in double figures. Michael Jacobson scored nine points for I-State - all in the first half. The Cyclones shot just 42.6 percent from the field (23-54), including 8-of-21 on three-pointers.
Texas was held under 40 percent shooting from the floor (22-56; 39.3%), including 6-of-23 on three-pointers.
Iowa State will sit in no worse than third place in the Big 12 when it travels to Norman (Okla.) for the first of two games against the Sooners in a 21-day span. Oklahoma is 3-6 in the Big 12 and 15-7 overall following a road loss at last-place West Virginia on Saturday.
