Curtis Jones puts up 25 as No. 2 Iowa St. dumps No. 9 Kansas

Field Level Media|published: Wed 15th January, 21:37 2025

Jan 15, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones center Dishon Jackson (1) scores against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Curtis Jones scored 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting, including 5-for-6 accuracy from 3-point range, and No. 2 Iowa State pulled away for a 74-57 win over No. 9 Kansas on Wednesday in Ames, Iowa.

Dishon Jackson scored 17 points for Iowa State (15-1, 5-0 Big 12), which won its 12th game in a row. Joshua Jefferson registered 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Cyclones increased their home-court winning streak to 28 games.

Zeke Mayo scored 17 points on 7-for-19 shooting to lead Kansas (12-4, 3-2), which had a three-game winning streak end. Dajuan Harris Jr. finished with eight points to go along with a team-high seven assists.

Iowa State finished the game on a 17-5 run to secure the victory. It was the Cyclones' first game since they reached No. 2 in the rankings for the first time in program history. Iowa State has never been No. 1.

Rebounding and 3-point shooting helped Iowa State set itself apart. The Cyclones won the battle on the boards 43-33, and they shot 61.5 percent (8 of 13) from 3-point range while the Jayhawks shot 31.3 percent (5 of 16) from long distance.

The Cyclones built their lead to 12 points with 7:08 remaining. Jackson drew a foul from Hunter Dickinson and made a pair of free throws to give Iowa State a 57-45 edge.

Kansas responded with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 57-52 with 5:37 to play. Flory Bidunga finished the run with a layup off an assist by Harris.

The Cyclones regained a double-digit advantage when Jefferson made a layup to put Iowa State on top 66-55 with 2:05 remaining. The lead increased to 18 points in the final minute after Jones drained a 3-pointer to make it 73-55.

Iowa State led 40-30 at the half.

The Jayhawks, previously down by eight, pulled within 32-30 with 2:22 remaining in the half after back-to-back 3-pointers by Mayo and Rylan Griffen. Harris assisted on both baskets.

The Cyclones finished the half on an 8-0 run. Keshon Gilbert made a jump shot and Jones capped off the scoring with back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 1:23.

--Field Level Media

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