Tre King helps No. 23 Iowa State top No. 7 Kansas 79-75

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Keshon Gilbert drills dagger 3 as Iowa State knocks off Kansas

Keshon Gilbert sinks the game-sealing 3-pointer and Iowa State fans storm the court after upsetting No. 7 Kansas.

Jan 27, 2024, 10:44 pm

AMES, Iowa -- — Tre King had 21 points and nine rebounds, and No. 23 Iowa State knocked off No. 7 Kansas 79-75 on Saturday.

Iowa State (16-4, 5-2) improved to 13-0 at home this season while enhancing its status as a Big 12 contender. Keshon Gilbert scored 16 points for the Cyclones, and reserve Curtis Jones had 15 points.

All three contributed to a season-best performance from the 3-point line for the Cyclones, who went 14 for 30 from beyond the arc.

“Playing in that atmosphere, you think every shot you're taking is going in,” Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey said. “Just how loud the fans are and the vibe in the whole arena is so good, you take all the shots with confidence.”

Lipsey finished with 10 points, including a 3-pointer and a layup that helped Iowa State seize control early in the second half. Jones' 3-pointer increased the Cyclones' advantage to 55-43 with 11:44 left.

“Honestly, it was just playing for each other,” King said. “Something we pride ourselves on is being a great unselfish team. Credit to each and every one of these guys for finding us in the spots where we were available.”

Hunter Dickinson led Kansas (16-4, 4-3) with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Kevin McCullar Jr. had 16 points on 5-for-18 shooting, and Johnny Furphy finished with 15.

“When you have a team that usually makes four 3s a game hit 14, it definitely makes it more challenging,” Dickinson said. “It makes it harder to try and stage a comeback.”

Kansas closed to 67-63 on a layup by Dickinson and a fast-break dunk by Furphy. But Iowa State held on.

Gilbert’s layup with 2:43 left lifted the Cyclones to a 74-65 lead. After the Jayhawks rallied again, Gilbert connected on a 3 to make it 77-72 with 41 seconds to go.

“We switched a lot,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We should have been able to get to shooters better. But give them credit. A lot of it was, could we have done better? Yes. But a lot of it was they made shots they haven't been making.”

BIG PICTURE

It was the only scheduled meeting this season for the longtime rivals, due to a shuffle of Big 12 membership. Saturday marked the 257th game between Iowa State and Kansas. The Jayhawks had won eight of the previous 10.

GETTING DEFENSIVE

The Cyclones used their defense to slow down the Jayhawks. Kansas began the day as the Big 12 leader in shooting percentage, hitting 50.8% for the season. It got off to a slow start on Saturday and shot 45% (27 for 60) for the game.

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

Iowa State visits Baylor on Feb. 3.

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