Iowa State roared back from an early 16 point deficit to make a game of it but the Cyclones never led in a 92-81 loss at sixth ranked Kansas.
ISU coach Fred Hoiberg says he tried to prepare the team for how quickly Kansas can take off in their building, and Hoiberg says that happened early. “But we did a good job after that.”
The Cyclones got to within one in the second half but the Jayhawks took control late after an intentional foul was called on the Cyclones Dustin Hogue. Hoiberg says when the game went from 3 to 7 the crowd got back into the game and it was tough to fight back after that.
Georges Niang tied a career high with 24 points and DeAndre Kane added 22 as the Cyclones fall to 3-4 in the Big 12. “The big thing I said to our guys is ‘you can’t let one loss turn into two’,” Hoiberg says. He says they batteled hard and played good enough to win and that’s all they can ask of themselves.
The Cyclones host Okahoma on Saturday.