Iowa State drops 2nd OT heartbreaker to Kansas

AMES - Big Monday.

Deafening noise. Huge heartbreak.

Kansas shocked Iowa State with a madcap late-in-regulation comeback for the second time this season, overcoming a five-point deficit with 47 seconds left to eventually win, 108-96, in overtime before a stunned sellout crowd of 14,376 at Hilton Coliseum.

The culprit this time?

Jayhawks guard Elijah Johnson, who scored an astonishing 23 points from the 2:59 mark in regulation to the midway point of overtime.

He finished with a career high-shattering 39 points and kept the Cyclones from establishing their first two-game home win streak against Kansas since 2000 and 2001.

ISU (19-9, 9-6) - which made 17 3-pointers against the nation's top field goal percentage defense - led 87-82 after Georges Niang sank one form beyond-the-arc with two seconds left on the shot clock.

Johnson answered with a long-range basket of his own with 32 seconds left.

Then, after two Korie Lucious free throws, he dropped in a another, making the score 89-88 with 15 seconds left.

Lucious made one of two free throws after that - and Johnson hit a pair from the stripe after a controversial call on a loose ball gave him the chance.

Johnson added 12 more points in overtime as Kansas (24-4, 12-3) pulled away.

Lucious led the Cyclones with a career-high 23 points, including an alley-oop pass that instead turned into a 3-pointer early in the second half.

It seemed ISU had finally reversed its luck against the first-place Jayhawks, but Johnson - like Ben McLemore in the first meeting - proved otherwise.

McLemore hit a desperation bank three to force the extra session in Lawrence.

Kansas went on to win that game 97-89.

Same story, different script Monday.

And it followed a dramatic arc from the opening tip to the final horn.

The first three minutes or so included a technical foul on Kansas coach Bill Self, a putback dunk by ISU forward Melvin Ejim and one fan being escorted from the arena by security.

Just another Big Monday?

Hardly.

But quite the tone-setter.

Both teams conjured significant runs in the first 20 minutes, but neither could create separation as the Jayhawks led 41-40 at the break.

Kansas' big first-half run - a 14-3 spurt - turned a 14-7 deficit into a 21-17 lead that briefly quelled the energy from the stands.

The Cyclones answered with a 7-0 surge keyed by an Anthony Booker 3-pointer, of all things, that re-amped up the gold-clad crowd.

Booker provided a necessary boost in the paint, too - grabbing a team-best four rebounds before the break as Melvin Ejim and Niang again battled foul trouble.