Lindell Wigginton
Iowa State came up short, falling to Texas 68-64 in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.
The Cyclones had three players in double figures on the night. Cameron Lard posted a 14 point performance, Zoran Talley Jr. cashed in 12 points and Lindell Wigginton led the Iowa State offense with 20 points.
Donovan Jackson was also a key contributor, accounting for eight assists on the night, which is a new career high.
At the half, the Cyclones trailed the Longhorns 34-31. Iowa State lead for most of the first stanza, but Texas ended the first half on a 16-3 run, holding ISU scoreless in the final two minutes.
Iowa State was extremely efficient on the offensive end in the first half. ISU rattled home 13-25 attempts, including 4-7 from deep. Wigginton led the opening charge with nine points, seven rebounds and one assist.
The Cyclones held Texas to just one made field goal in the first 11 minutes of the second half, which allowed them to erase the lead that Texas had built. On the night, the ISU defense held Texas to just 25-62 shooting and a solid 8-31 from behind the arc.
At the under-four timeout, Texas held a 64-60 advantage. The Cyclones would cut the lead to just two on a couple of occasions on a pair of Lard layups. In the end, the Longhorns would fend off ISU’s comeback efforts, winning the game 68-64.
Lindell Wigginton led all Iowa State scorers in the game. He poured in 20 points on 8-15 shooting. The true freshman churned out two assists. He was also active on the glass, hauling in eight boards. It was Wigginton’s 13th game with 20-plus points, which is the most for a Cyclone true freshman. He also became the second Iowa State true freshman with 500 or more points, joining Curtis Stinson.