Cyclones Basketball: Ball bounces K-State’sdirection

AMES - A Big 12 season full of bad bounces for Iowa State continued Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.

Jacob Pullen's loose-ball layup with 2.6 seconds to play gave Kansas State an 86-85 victory, sending the Cyclones to their sixth straight defeat and third in a row at home.

ISU (14-10, 1-8 Big 12) got a shot off before the buzzer sounded, but Jamie Vanderbeken's 40-foot off-balance heave slammed off the backboard.

Afterward, the hot topic was Pullen's late-game heroics and game-winner that defender Diante Garrett nearly went the other way with as the KSU point guard dribbled to the basket. Pullen was able to corral the ball and rise up for an uncontested shot.

“He put it right there in my hands,” said Garrett, who led all scorers with 23 points to go with eight assists. “It hit my hands and hit my knee and for some odd reason got to him.”

The Wildcats' senior guard scored his team's final eight points and 17 of his team-high 21 after halftime.

Pullen admitted to Garrett as they were shaking hands afterward he thought the Cyclone had him stopped.

“Diante defended it well,” Coach Fred Hoiberg said. “The ball went off his leg. But that's the kind of rolls this team has been getting. We shot 56 percent at home. We have to find a way to win those games.”

The Cyclones shot a season-high percentage from the field (28 of 50) and made 22 of 24 free throws.

But K-State (16-8, 4-5) countered that with a 14 of 27 performance from 3-point range.

The Wildcats also got 44 points from their bench in a tight, physical, foul-filled game. Neither team held a lead of more than six points.

“They made big plays when they had to,” Hoiberg said. “Some of those guys hadn't taken a shot from three all year, and they are making them with a hand in their face.”

Vanderbeken's 3-pointer and spinning fadeaway gave ISU its first lead since the 3-minute mark of the first half with 6:11 to go in the game. Another Vanderbeken 3-pointer a few minutes later put the Cyclones ahead 79-73.

But missed opportunities and defensive breakdowns got K-State back into the game and in position to win. Garrett had a chance to extend ISU's lead in the final minute, but missed a well-guarded shot with 17 seconds to go.

The Cyclones have either led or been tied in the final minute of six of their 10 losses, four of those in conference games.

Christpherson finished with 22 points, Vanderbeken 18.