Iowa State comes up short at No. 5 Texas A&M in Big 12-SEC Challenge

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Patience is said to be virtuous. In the case of Texas A&M senior guard Danuel House, it proved to be victorious, too.

House scored 12 points in the final four minutes to lead a decisive rally that propelled fifth-ranked Texas A&M to a 72-62 victory over No. 16 Iowa State on Saturday at Reed Arena.

House clinched the victory — A&M's 13th straight at home — with a three-point play highlighted by a massive dunk that gave the Aggies a 68-60 lead with 55.9 seconds left. He completed the scoring with a breakaway dunk that brought the sellout crowd of 12,472 to its feet.

'He took over,' said Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy, who posted his 300th career victory. 'What was really good was that he was patient. He didn't force anything.

'He let us run stuff and get the ball in the right places. He did a heck of a job being disciplined, being patient and making plays.'

House led A&M (18-3) with 20 points, center Tyler Davis had 15 and forward Jalen Jones added 13.

Iowa State (16-5) was led by forward Georges Niang with 15 points and Deonte Burton with 11.

The hard-fought game was tied nine times and had 15 lead changes.

The final lead change came when House drilled a 3-pointer for a 59-58 lead with 4:04 remaining that sparked a pivotal 16-4 rally.

House followed with a driving layup and two free throws. When he did miss, Davis tipped in the rebound for a 65-58 lead with 1:49 left.

Niang came back with two free throws, but then House's spectacular three-point play settled the issue.

'I was just being patient and playing within the team concept,' House said. 'I was just trying to let it all come natural instead of trying to force everything. I was grateful that my teammates and everybody on the staff ran plays for me. They found me and got me the ball.'

Meanwhile, Iowa State was frustrated by missed opportunities.

Losing for the first time when holding the opponent to fewer than 80 points, the Cyclones committed 16 turnovers that led to 21 A&M points, converted just 4 of 12 free throws and managed just one field goal in the final 4 1/2 minutes.

'There was a couple of possession we had opportunities to score and then something happened,' Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said. 'We have to do a better job in execution and I have to do a better job putting guys in position.

'We got down five and I think we got a little 3-happy with still about 1:30, 1:40 to go. That's a lot of time. I think we were looking for the home run. I should have been emphasizing paint-touch, paint-touch. We tried to get it all back too quick.'

Kennedy said the key to A&M's defensive effort was containing guard point guard Monte Morris, who was averaging 15.5 points but was held to eight.

'He got away from us in the first half and he got away from us early in the second half,' Kennedy said of Morris. 'Tonny (Trocha-Morelos) came in and did some good things for us that go unnoticed.

'Admon Gilder guarded him some. Alex Caruso guarded him some. Anthony Collins. We were able to rotate guys at him. He didn't get in the lane as much like he did in the first half and some of the early second half.'

Although it was a milestone victory, Kennedy didn't appear to celebrate because of his relationship with Prohm, who served as an assistant coach under him for 12 years. Kennedy became outwardly emotional when discussing their relationship.

'He's like my brother,' Kennedy said.

There were no mixed emotions for Kennedy's players. The victory was A&M's fourth against opponents from the Big 12. This one was viewed as the biggest because Iowa State had wins over No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 Iowa.

'It feels really good because this sets the standard high for our team,' House said. 'It lets us know that we can compete with anyone in the world. (Iowa State) is a great team. They took down Kansas and Oklahoma.

'So, now it may raise the eyebrows of people. Like: 'What can Texas A&M really do?''