ISU Falls to West Virginia at home 81-76

Both the Iowa State Cyclones and the West Virginia Mountaineers have played the role of spoiler in matchups against highly ranked Big 12 opponents this season. He also made six straight free throws in the final 2 minutes to hand Iowa State (16-6, 5-4) only its seventh home loss in 79 games.

Iowa State guard Matt Thomas, left, fights for a loose ball with West Virginia guard Jevon Carter, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Ames, Iowa. West Virginia is 5-1 against the spread against the Big 12, 6-1 against the spread following a loss, and 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games.

Paige tied it at 70-all on a layup with 2:36 left, but Iowa State wasn’t done just yet.

It was the Mountaineers first win at Hilton Coliseum in four attempts and WVU kept pace with top-ranked Oklahoma at the top of the Big 12 standings.

Offensive rebounding is a key area for Bob Huggins’ team given their shooting issues, and against an Iowa State team that lacks depth especially in the post, they were able to take advantage.

Jaysean Paige had 23 points to lead the Mountaineers and Devin Williams added 17. We figured out a way to get back, but we didn’t close the game well.

Iowa State will hope to end their two-game losing streak on Saturday when they face Oklahoma State on the road. The Cyclones were 6-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first half, while West Virginia was 0-of-4.

That figures to be the case again in Ames as West Virginia tries to prevent Iowa State’s Georges Niang from dominating in the paint. Iowa State is averaging 83.3 per outing.

But Ahmad’s strong game can in turn give them confidence for beyond just this season.

The second half started the same way the first half did with Niang hittig a 3 and, it seemed, every time WVU pulled within two points someone would hit a 3 for the Cyclones or they would get a traditional 3-point play.

There’s no question Morris is Iowa State’s stabilizing force in the backcourt. Iowa State used a 10-0 run on 5-for-5 shooting to go ahead 23-8 and would make another shot after Paige ended the run. Morris had 10 assists and no turnovers against one of the nation’s most tenacious defenses. With Monte Morris and Jameel McKay aiding the cause in a major way, Iowa State can look like one of the best teams in the country when at their best.