AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (12-16, 5-10 Big 12) made all six of its free throw attempts in the final minute to overcome a TCU (15-13, 6-9 Big 12) comeback bid in a 65-59 victory Tuesday night in Hilton Coliseum.
With the game tied at 59-59 and under a minute left, the Cyclones strung together three-straight stops and was clutch at the line, as Rasir Bolton was 4-of-4 and Tre Jackson hit both of his attempts to give the Cyclones their fifth win over a Big 12 opponent at home this season.
The Cyclones exhibited resolve after squandering an 18-point second half lead, as the Horned Frogs rallied all the way back to take a brief lead at 55-53 with 5:18 left in the contest.
Jackson had one of his best games as a Cyclone, as the rookie poured in a career-high 18 points and tied his career best with four 3-pointers. Solomon Young added 20 points and grabbed seven boards and Michael Jacobson chipped in with eight points and eight caroms.
TCUs Desmond Bane led all players with 22 points.
How It Happened
Iowa State took advantage of a five-minute TCU scoring drought to take a 25-14 lead with under 10 minutes left in the first half. Jackson hit four treys in that time to help the Cyclones take the early lead.
Young was also key in aiding the Cyclones to a 41-25 lead at the break. Young was able to establish position on the block en route to 16 first-half points on six baskets in the paint.
Iowa State made 51.6 percent of its shots in the opening period.
The tone of the game switched in the second half. The Cyclones struggled to score and get stops, as the Horned Frogs got right back into the game by outscoring ISU, 18-8 to cut the lead to 49-43 with 11:43 remaining the contest.
Minutes later, Bane hit a long 3-pointer followed by free throws from Edric Dennis, and suddenly Iowa States 18-point second half lead vanished and the Horned Frogs led 55-53 with 5:18 left in the game.
Young gave the Cyclones the lead (59-57) with a hoop in the paint, but Bane scored on a drive to even the score with less than a minute left. Bolton was fouled on a drive on ISUs next possession. He hit both free throws to regain the lead.
ISU then got a big stop and Jackson was immediately fouled with :18 seconds left. The rookie calmly sank both charity shots to give the Cyclones a four-point lead at 63-59.
Players of Note
Solomon Young continued his hot streak at home, tallying 10 points, including 16 in the opening period. Young was dominant in the paint, scoring most of his baskets down low. He finished the game making 8-of-11 shots from the field. Hes now 24-of-31 in Iowa States last four games in Hilton Coliseum. It was his third 20-point game of the season.
Tre Jackson lived up to his name by tying a career best with four 3-pointers in the victory. Jackson canned all four 3-pointers in the opening period, including three on three-straight possessions to break open the game. Jackson also had a career-high 18 points and made two big free throws to give the Cyclones a four-point lead with :18 seconds left.
Up Next
Iowa State travels to Oklahoma State on Saturday (Feb. 29). Tipoff is at 3 p.m.
