No. 2 Kansas Halts Iowa State's Upset Bid, 76-72

AMES, Iowa – No. 2 Kansas (17-1, 6-0 Big 12) held off an upset-minded Iowa State (11-6, 3-3 Big 12) with a 76-72 victory Monday night in Hilton Coliseum.

KU had to sweat for the win down the stretch. Holding a 73-63 lead with under two minutes remaining, ISU rattled off seven-straight points behind treys from Monte' Morris and Naz Mitrou-Long to trim the lead to 73-70 with 0:26 seconds left.

It was the closest the Cyclone got however, losing for the first time to KU in Hilton Coliseum since 2014.

The Jayhawks hit 54.8 percent of their shots (34-62) and held a commanding edge on the boards at 41-24. However, the Cyclones were able to remain in striking distance throughout the game by forcing 18 turnovers while committing just 10.

Morris led the Cyclones in almost every category: points (23), rebounds (7), assists (7) and steals (4). Deonte Burton added 21 points, his fifth 20-point outing of the year, and Mitrou-Long poured in 18 points. The Big Three accounted for 62 of ISU's 72 points.

Frank Mason was one of four Jayhawks in double figures, leading the way with 16 points.

How it Happened
Kansas appeared to be running away with the game when Svi Mykhailiuk buried a top of the key 3-pointer to give the Jayhawks 32-22 lead with 5:33 remaining in the opening period.

After that, the Cyclones bounced back behind Burton, who scored nine of ISU's final 15 points of the half, trimming the Jayhawk lead to 43-37 at the break.

Burton had 13 first-half points.

KU shot a blistering 61.3 percent in the first half, but the Cyclones forced 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes to stay in the game.

KU increased its lead to nine points in the early moments of the second period, but the Cyclones bounced back behind Morris, who hit a trey and converted a steal into a lay-in to close within four points (56-52) with 11:55 remaining.

The Jayhawks stopped the Cyclone momentum by controlling a lead of six to eight points throughout the next five minutes of the contest. ISU shrunk the lead to four points when Burton converted a conventional 3-point play to make it 67-63 KU with 3:37 remaining.

The Jayhawks then scored hoops on their next three possessions to move back in front 73-63 with under two minutes left in the contest. ISU's comeback attempt was not enough in the end.

Players of Note
Monte' Morris played another outstanding all-around game. The senior led the Cyclones in scoring (23), rebounding (7), assists (7) and steals (4). Morris made 9-of-15 from the field and 3-of-4 from downtown.

Deonte Burton got back on track with a 21-point game. Burton carried the Cyclones in the first half by tallying 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Cyclone Quick Hits
*Tonight was the 700^th game in Hilton Coliseum. ISU is 529-171 all-time in Hilton Coliseum.
*ISU's only seventh loss vs. a Big 12 opponent in the last five seasons.
*ISU has sold out 25 of its last 29 games in Hilton Coliseum.
*Deonte Burton recorded his fifth 20-point game of the year with 21 points.
*Matt Thomas hit two 3-pointers to become the third Cyclone with 200 in a career. He has 200 in his career.
*Monte' Morris had seven assists to give him 38 in six conference games.
*Morris had four steals to equal his season high.
*ISU posted 11 steals, the fourth-straight game of 10+ steals.
*ISU had 10 turnovers and KU had 18. ISU has had less turnovers than its opponent in 16-of-17 games this season.
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Next Up
Iowa State travels to Oklahoma on Saturday (Jan. 21). The game will tipoff at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.

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Team Stats

Monte Morris

Deonte Burton

Nazareth Mitrou-Long

Matt Thomas

Players Mentioned

Deonte Burton

Matt Thomas

Players Mentioned

Deonte Burton

Matt Thomas

Sponsors

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