Iowa State loses late-game lead in 85-78 defeat at No. 1 Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Late-game leads have turned into late-game losses at an all-to familiar rate for the Iowa State men's basketball team.

The regular season finale against top-ranked Kansas was no exception.

Just like they've done for 40-straight games in Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks squashed any notion they would leave their home building with a loss.

'Disappointed for our guys,” said Iowa State coach Steve Prohm. 'I thought we played really well in stretches and put ourselves in a position up here with three minutes to go in a one-point game with a chance to win up here.

'We just weren't able to finish.”

No. 20 Iowa State has had seven of eight conference games that it lost leads in the final five minutes and while the 85-78 loss at No. 1 Kansas wasn't sealed until the final 60 seconds, the hiccups started much sooner than that.

The Cyclones (21-10, 10-8) grabbed a three-point lead on a jumper from senior Georges Niang with 7:26 to go, but couldn't do much right from the field after that. Even with a one-point lead with five minutes to go, Iowa State went 7 minutes and 5 seconds between field goals down the stretch and missed six-straight shots while the Jayhawks (27-4, 15-3) outscored it 17-6.

Niang had 22 points and five rebounds and was the conduit through which Iowa State was finding its success before the drought.

'If you're going to something down the stretch, it's working and someone is going to make an adjustment,” Niang said. 'I thought we still made adjustments and ran other plays, but I think the thing is the shots we could have made, we missed. I missed a couple and that's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes.”

Niang carried Iowa State early with 12 points in the first 11 minutes, but went out for the remainder of the first half with two fouls. Where Niang left off is where senior center Jameel McKay picked up. McKay had 19 points and nine rebounds - 15 and 7 after 20 minutes - and was 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

McKay's first-half performance kept Iowa State within one point at halftime and said even through a loss, he feels the team is in the right mindset with only the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments left this season.

'I think we're in a great place,” McKay said. 'Our effort was good tonight. I think right now we're playing our best stretch of basketball regardless of the outcome.”

Junior Deonte Burton had eight points and four rebounds off the bench before exiting with 7:39 to play. His tooth broke through his cheek after getting hit by KU forward Perry Ellis - he made two free throws after getting a bandage - and said he'll be ready to go in Thursday's game against No. 3-seed Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament.

Junior Monte Morris had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists before asking Prohm to leave the game with 14 seconds to go. He was fouled by KU guard Frank Mason on a 3-point attempt and was diagnosed with a shoulder strain.

'I've never had nothing like this so I don't know how it's going to be, but I know I'll be ready to go by Thursday,” Morris said. 'But right now I'm in a lot of pain.”

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