AMES — It wasn’t a must-win, but it sure as heck was a big win.
Iowa State (20-5, 8-5) played 40 minutes of high intensity basketball to avenge its January loss to Texas (20-6, 9-4) on Tuesday night in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones sent the second-place Longhorns back to Austin with an 85-76 defeat.
After turning the ball over a season-high 18 times against Texas in round one, Iowa State only committed six in its second meeting with the Longhorns. Melvin Ejim led the way for Iowa State with 25 points and eight rebounds. DeAndre Kane and Georges Niang each broke the 20-point barrier as well with 22 and 20 respectively.
Up next for the Cyclones is a Saturday afternoon road trip to TCU. The game will tip at 3 p.m. and be televised on ESPN2.
