No. 2 Kansas Downs Iowa State, 88-81

AMES, Iowa (AP) - Kansas finally left Hilton Coliseum with a victory. No wonder Drew Gooden slammed the ball to the floor when it was over.

Gooden had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Jeff Boschee hit a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 37 seconds left as No. 2 Kansas beat Iowa State 88-81 Wednesday night to break a five-game losing streak against the Cyclones.

It was the first time Gooden had beaten Iowa State. Ditto for the two Iowans in the Jayhawks' starting lineup, Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison.

"We feel good for Nick and Kirk more than anything," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "At the same time, we feel good for this team this year because it was a big win for us and a great last minute and a half."

Kansas (16-2, 5-0 Big 12) won at Hilton Coliseum for the first time since Feb. 4, 1998, but it was far from easy. The Jayhawks built a 12-point early in the second half, fell behind by four, then finally pulled it out with some clutch shooting and defense.

Iowa State (9-11, 1-5) led 81-79 when Jake Sullivan, who scored a career-high 27 points, hit a 3-pointer from the right wing with 2:23 remaining, his fifth 3 of the game. The Cyclones did not score again, coming up empty on their final seven possessions.

"They executed and we didn't," Iowa State's Tyray Pearson said. "I think we could have done the same thing if we were more mentally tough and didn't make mistakes down the stretch."

Gooden made two free throws to tie it at 81 with 2:09 to play, and Iowa State lost a chance to regain the lead when Pearson missed two free throws with 57 seconds remaining.

Kansas then patiently worked its offense, Boschee got free to the left of the key and swished his 3-pointer.

"We kind of lost him for a second," Iowa State's Shane Power said. "He had some time, so I knew it was going to go in."

"I don't think they forgot about me," Boschee said. "I think Drew just had a really good screen."

After Sullivan missed a driving shot, Kansas made four of five free throws to wrap it up and finally get out of Ames with a victory.

"It feels good," said Collison, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds. "It's been pretty tough on me coming up here losing every time, and to finally get one is almost a relief."

Boschee scored 14 points on perfect shooting - 4-for-4 on 3-pointers and 2-for-2 on free throws - and Hinrich had 12, plus nine assists.

Pearson scored 17 points and Power added 15 for Iowa State, which won the last two Big 12 titles but is off to its worst start in league play since 1993-94.

"It was tied in a 39-minute game," Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy said. "It shows you maybe what our team is capable of. We are far from the team we hoped to have had by now, but we're going to keep trying."

Kansas looked as though it might break the game open early in the second half. During a 2{-minute stretch, the Jayhawks got six close-in baskets - four dunks and two layups - and opened a 62-50 lead when Wayne Siemen scored inside with 14:13 left.

But the Jayhawks then hit a rut and Iowa State outscored Kansas 20-4 to take a 70-66 lead when Sullivan hit two free throws with 6:39 remaining.

While Iowa State was making its run, Kansas missed 11 of 13 shots and had four turnovers. Hinrich scored on a drive to get the Jayhawks going again and the teams went back and forth down the stretch.

"Things weren't going good there for awhile," Hinrich said. "Shots weren't going in. Every shot we missed and every shot they made, the crowd is getting louder and louder. We were able to show poise and get the job done."

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Tyray Pearson

Tyray Pearson

Shane Power

Shane Power

Jake Sullivan

Jake Sullivan

Jake Sullivan

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