Iowa State’s late-season slide continues in 72-69 Senior Night loss to West Virginia

AMES — They played with grit. Toughness. Their trademark defensive intensity.

The Iowa State Cyclones did a lot of the things that led to a 4-0 start in Big 12 men’s basketball play and a top-12 ranking nationally Monday night against West Virginia.

They simply didn’t do any of them well enough to win.

The final score: Mountaineers 72, ISU 69.

The stark reality: On an emotionally-charged Senior Night at Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones dropped their fourth straight game and seventh of the past eight.

“It really hurts,” ISU senior guard Jaren Holmes said. “I’m at a loss for words right now, especially when we’re in that moment and it was right there. But we didn’t make the plays to come out with a victory.”

The Cyclones (17-12, 8-9 Big 12) outscored West Virginia 25-11 in the first nine minutes of the second half, turning a 35-27 deficit into a 52-46 lead. That’s when ISU senior forward Aljaz Kunc was struck in the face by Mountaineers forward Tre Mitchell’s elbow. A scrum ensued, accompanied by pushing and shoving. Mitchell was called for a flagrant two foul, but Kunc and teammate Caleb Grill were whistled for technicals, as well. Kunc missed his two free throws. West Virginia backup guard Joe Toussaint made his — and then fellow backup Seth Wilson drilled his only 3-pointer of the game to cap a five-point possession that completely changed the complexion of the game.

ISU later extended its lead to 58-51, but Kunc came up just short on a 3-point shot that could have established a 10-point edge and the Mountaineers (17-13, 6-11) outscored the Cyclones, 21-11, in the final eight minutes.

“That was that stretch,” ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We’re getting unnecessary fouls. It’s getting back cut. It’s things that at that point in the game, you lock in, and there’s a pride point, and you just say, ‘You know what? You’re not scoring a basket. Not on our court. Not tonight. It’s not happening — not on Senior Night.’ You dig deep and you find a way, and we didn’t do that job. It’s highly disappointing.”

Gabe Kalscheur led the Cyclones with 26 points on 8-for-15 shooting in his final game at Hilton. The senior guard was terrific, but also endured foul trouble in the first half, where he scored 11 points in just seven minutes before committing his third foul on a charge with 10:21 left. ISU led 15-13 at that point, but struggled to get good shots with Kalscheur on the bench, enabling West Virginia to build its seven-point halftime cushion.

“It’s tough to know I’m not going to get to play again on that court,” said Kalscheur, who went 5-for-9 from 3-point range. “It’s going to stay with me for a long time, but we were very undisciplined toward the end.”

The game started like it finished. Mountaineers star guard Erik Stevenson drained three open 3-pointers early to get into a game-long rhythm both inside and outside the arc. The Cyclones trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and lost seven costly turnovers before the break.

“Guys are giving effort,” Otzelberger said. “But there’s a big difference between effort and having discipline and competitive endurance to find a way to win.”

That’s obviously been lacking in the last three weeks — save a 70-59 home win over TCU, but there’s no reason it can’t be rediscovered, at long last, as the postseason swings into view.

“I just love everybody in that locker room regardless of the outcome,” Holmes said. “(We’ll) bounce back. We’ve got another game and two tournaments to play. Can’t hang our heads. Come back stronger and continue to push.”

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