TCU Pulls Away From Cyclones, 84-77

FORT WORTH, Texas – Despite a late rally, Iowa State fell to TCU 84-77 Saturday evening at Schollmeier Arena. The loss dropped ISU to 11-5 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play. The Horned Frogs are now 14-3 overall and 3-2 in league play.

A late run at the end of the first half gave TCU a lead it would not relinquish in the second half, despite multiple attempts to comeback by Iowa State. Leading the way for ISU was Nazareth Mitrou-Long, who had 19 points, which included three 3-pointers. Donovan Jackson came off the bench for a career-high 16 points, all coming in the first half.

How it Happened
A pair of players off the bench exchanged makes in the first half. For TCU it was Brandon Parrish, as the redshirt senior planted himself in the corners to drain three 3-pointers and give the Horned Frogs a piece of the advantage. For Iowa State, it was Donovan Jackson. After scoring just two points at Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Jackson racked up 13 points in his first five minutes off the bench, including three treys of his own. The teams both shot over 60 percent in the first 12 minutes and combined for seven lead changes.

TCU was able to edge ahead late in the first half, establishing Vladmir Brodziansky in the post and with freshman point guard Jaylen Fisher making a couple of big shots to give the Frogs a 44-41 lead at the break.

The two teams continued to trade blows to begin the second half, but a quick 6-0 TCU run gave the home side its biggest lead of the game at 52-45. The Cyclones continued to battle their way back in, with Nazareth Mitrou-Long in particular guiding the offensive effort as ISU reduced the TCU lead to two at 56-54.

However, the Cyclones struggled to close the gap further, as TCU continued to shoot well above 50 percent in the second half, eventually taking its lead to 11 at 78-67. Iowa State rallied late, running off seven-straight points to get the Frogs' advantage back down to four at 78-74. However, TCU was able to hang on with a couple late fast-break baskets to get the programs first win over Iowa State since joining the Big 12.

Players of Note
Nazareth Mitrou-Long's continued development as both an inside and outside contributor for Iowa State was on display again. The redshirt senior led the Cyclones with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

Donovan Jackson came off the bench to produce an outstanding first-half display. The junior recorded all of his career-high 16 points in the first half, with the effort including four 3-pointers.

Monté Morris struggled from the field, only getting nine points on 4-of-14 shooting. However, his ability to start the offense while taking care of the ball was on display again, as he dished out eight assists with no turnovers. In five Big 12 games, Morris has 30 assists and just one turnover.

Cyclone Quick Hits
*Nick Weiler-Babb finished with 10 points, tying his career-high for the fourth time this season.
*Donovan Jackson came off the bench to record a career-best 16 points, his third time in double figures this season.
*Nazareth Mitrou-Long's team-high 19 points was his 14th game of the season in double figures and 46th of his career.
*Matt Thomas had 10 points, his 10th time in 2016-17 in double figures and 48th of his career.

Up Next
Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum on Big Monday to take on No. 2 Kansas. The Cyclones and Jayhawks tip at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

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Team Stats

Nazareth Mitrou-Long

Donovan Jackson

Matt Thomas

Nick Weiler-Babb

Players Mentioned

Donovan Jackson

Nazareth Mitrou-Long

Matt Thomas

Nick Weiler-Babb

Players Mentioned

Donovan Jackson

Nazareth Mitrou-Long

Matt Thomas

Nick Weiler-Babb

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