No. 5 Texas A&M Pulls Past No. 14 Cyclones Late

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 14 Iowa State's four-game winning streak came to an end Saturday as the Cyclones fell to No. 5 Texas A&M 72-62 at Reed Arena. The loss drops ISU to 16-5 on the season, while A&M improves to 18-3. The game was part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Georges Niang led Iowa State in defeat with 15 points and six rebounds. Deonte Burton contributed 11 points, while Jameel McKay just missed out on a double-double, finishing with nine points and 14 rebounds.

How it Happened
Struggles from behind the arc meant neither team was able to build a substantial lead. While ISU was able to shoot 46.7 percent from the field in the first 10 minutes, it was held back by a 2-of-7 effort from 3. Texas A&M was an efficient 7-of-10 from inside the arc, but missed seven tries from deep in the first 10 minutes. The first time either team took a lead of more than one possession came with 4:27 to go in the first, when the Aggies got a pair of free throws from Tyler Davis made it 25-21.

When Georges Niang went to the bench after committing his second foul, ISU looked like it was headed to the locker room at a disadvantage. However, a couple of great running buckets by Monte' Morris cut the Aggies lead back down to one possession. When Morris' 3-point try with less than three seconds left was off target, it found Deonte Burton, who quickly threw down a dunk to send the game to the half tied 30-30.

Iowa State recorded four points within the first minute of the second half to get its biggest lead of the game at 34-30. The Aggies showed their quality as a top-five team, going on a 7-2 run to get back ahead 37-36, which was wiped out one possession later by an Abdel Nader 3-pointer. The Aggies began to find a groove from behind the arc, as a pair of 3-pointers by Tonny Trocha-Morelos and a trey by DJ Hogg allowed A&M to get ahead 48-44.

Like the first half, it was when Niang went to the bench, this time on his fourth foul, that ISU was able to start the run. Led by the energy of Burton on both sides of the floor, ISU went on a 7-0 run to pull ahead 51-48. The Aggies got back ahead again at 54-53, as the game once again settled into a back-and-forth nature. With Niang struggling through cramps, Morris got more aggressive, as he helped keep ISU around. The Aggies continued to strike from deep, as a Danuel House 3-pointer got A&M back ahead 59-58.

The Aggies were able to build their edge back to five at 63-58. Niang got to the line, but was unable to convert a 1-and-1, the home team were able to make ISU pay as Davis tipped in a bucket to give A&M its biggest lead of the game at 65-58. With ISU battling to get back into the game, the Aggies were able to take advantage of some transition opportunities to build the eventual final margin into double figures.

Cyclone of Note: Georges Niang. Foul trouble and cramping were all adversity Niang faced against the Aggies, but he persevered to lead Iowa State with 15 points on the afternoon. He also had six rebounds.

Cyclone Quick Hits
*Iowa State has hit a 3-pointer in 287 straight games, a streak dating back to the 2007 season.
*The loss snaps Iowa State's four-game road non-conference winning streak.
*Texas A&M now leads the all-time series against Iowa State 11-9.
*Jameel McKay posted 14 rebounds, his 10th game this season in double figures and 16th of his career.
*Matt Thomas recorded three 3-pointers, moving him past Jusutus Thigpen for 11th in school history. Thomas now has 127 career 3-pointers.
*Thomas now has at least three 3-pointers in 10 of his last 14 games.
*Deonte Burton posted 11 points, his sixth game as a Cyclone in double figures.
*Georges Niang played in his 124th career game, tying him with Justus Thigpen for the 10th-most in Iowa State history.
*Niang scored 15 points, his 30th-straight game in double figures and 101st of his career. Niang's streak is the fifth-longest by a Cyclone since 1970-71.8
*Niang now sits at 1,910 career points.

Up Next
Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum Tuesday for a showdown against No. 9 West Virginia. Tip will be at 8 p.m., and the matchup will be televised on ESPN2.

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Team Stats

Georges Niang

Deonte Burton

Jameel McKay

Matt Thomas

Players Mentioned

Deonte Burton

Georges Niang

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