Cyclones' Home Record Ends, Big 12 Race Shaken

0:00On March 1st Iowa State Cyclones saw their perfect home record in with an 82-73 loss to Texas Tech on February 28th at Hilton Coliseum. The Red Raiders missing star JT, topping for the season due to an ACL injury, built a 20-point lead and held on despite late pushes from the Cyclones. Texas Tech jumped out to a 45-29 half-time advantage and shot nearly 60% from the field, including almost 50%. From three-point range, six Red Raiders scored in double figures led by Donovan Atwell's 18 points. Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson had 22 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals while Milan-Mumcilovic added 20. Coach TJ Ozzelberger pointed to defensive lapses and poor rebounding as key issues, with Texas Tech grabbing 35 boards to Iowa State's. 29. The Red Raiders set the tone early on the glass and showed relentless energy from tip-off.

1:01Iowa State mounted second half runs, forcing turnovers and cutting the gap to six points late, but Texas Tech responded with tough shots to seal it. The Cyclone star is shown, yet the team couldn't mash the visitor's urgency. This defeat shakes up the Big 12 race, dropping Iowa State into a tie with Kansas for seating spots behind Leader Arizona. A tough road game at Arizona on March 2nd looms large as the Cyclones chase a top four tournament by. 5. A tough road game at Arizona on March 2nd looms large as the Cyclones chase a top four