Feb 5, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Chris Beard during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
There were 12 minutes and 40 seconds on the clock when Iowa State’s Tyrese Hunter made a layup in the second half of Saturday’s game in Austin.
A Hunter free throw a few seconds later made the score 38-36 and Iowa State appeared poised to battle to the end of another tough Big 12 road game.
Then, the Cyclones didn’t score again for more than seven minutes.
By the time George Conditt connected on a pair of free throws with 5:20 left, Iowa State had allowed a 15-0 run that stretched across seven minutes. Izaiah Brockington made the Cyclones’ final field goal of the game with 3:39 remaining.
Final score – No. 23 Texas 63, No. 20 Iowa State 41
Iowa State dropped to 16-7 with the loss and 3-7 in Big 12 play.
In a season marked largely by inept offensive performances from Iowa State, the Cyclones found a new low on Saturday at the Frank Irwin Center, shooting 28.3 percent from the field and 13.3 percent from 3-point range.
Iowa State finished the game with 14 made field goals. The Cyclones also had 18 turnovers.
Texas scored 24 points off of turnovers in this game. Iowa State scored two points off of Texas’ 12 turnovers.
Iowa State had only five assists in the 40 minutes. Texas had 18 of them on 25 made field goals at a 43.9 percent clip.
Andrew Jones scored 14 points and knocked down four 3-pointers while Marcus Carr added 14 points of his own on 6-of-12 shooting for the Longhorns.
After being thoroughly beaten by Iowa State’s backcourt during the first game between these two teams a few weeks ago, that duo stepped up for Texas in a big way on both ends of the floor.
Izaiah Brockington led Iowa State with 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting to go along with eight rebounds. Brockington scored his first 10 points during the first half before going 1-of-6 from the field after the break.
The first half from Brockington was the only thing that kept Iowa State afloat offensively while grinding to a 23-20 lead with 2:07 left before halftime.
Texas then closed the half with a 5-0 run across those final 2:07 to take a 25-23 lead on a 3-pointer from Carr is the first half horn sounded.
Texas never relinquished from there while Iowa State’s offensive struggles only grew. The only thing this team can do now is hope to regroup with another difficult road trip to Morgantown, W.Va. coming in a few days.
