Iowa State vs Texas Tech final score: Cyclones pull away after giving up 15-point second half lead

Iowa State had a 15-point lead going into halftime, and apparently the players thought it was over. Texas Tech came out with a surge, but it wasn’t enough to hand the Cyclones their first loss of the season.

Jan 4, 2014; Lubbock, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Dustin Hogue (22) scores above the Texas Tech Red Raiders defense in the first half at United Spirit Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Raiders (8-6, 0-1) were led by Jaye Crockett in the second half, picking up his game after a slow first half and finished with a double-double; 20 points, 11 rebounds, and shooting 9-of-14 from the field. Dusty Hannahs had a huge performance off the bench, hitting three 3-point shots and finishing with 16 points.

Texas Tech had a 21-6 run to open up the second half to tie the game up at 50, but they only scored 12 points in the final 12 minutes of the game while Iowa State scored 23 points.

While it was a good effort in the second half, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Cyclones (13-0, 1-0), who were even down by one of their power four. According to the Cyclone Radio Network, Dustin Hogue was feeling really sick during the game and only played in the first half. He went 2-of-6 from the field and finished with a season-low four points, but still was able to grab seven rebounds.

That ended up hurting Iowa State in the rebounding department. Texas Tech edged the Cyclones in total rebounds, 29-27, and looked to have a big advantage on the offensive boards.

The problem for the Red Raiders is they couldn’t keep the Cyclones off the free throw line. They committed 10 more fouls and Iowa State made an efficient 24-of-29 from the line compared to TTU’s 6-of-8.

Georges Niang was an all-around workhorse, finishing with a team-high 17 points and added seven rebounds and four assists to his stat line. DeAndre Kane couldn’t make a 3-point shot, but he went 9-of-13 from the free throw line and finished with 15 points and a team-high six assists.

Monte Morris was a beast off the bench, hitting all five free-throw attempts and finishing with 11 points and three assists. He also did a great job on defense, adding to the struggles of an already-depleted Texas Tech backcourt.

• Overall, the Cyclones didn’t shoot well from 3-point range. They started off 3-of-5 but cooled off considerably throughout the game, making just 2-of-14 the rest of the way. In comparison, the Red Raiders weren’t much better hitting 6-of-20 from the perimeter.
• Texas Tech’s best guard, Robert Turner, went 0-6 from the field and didn’t get a point while also fouling out.
• Forwards Crockett and Jordan Tolbert finally started hitting their shots, but not forward Dejan Kravic, who attempted just two shots and had just one rebound.