FORT WORTH, Texas — Iowa State basketball was close to escaping Texas and avoiding any traps, but a resilient TCU team never wavered.
The Cyclones battled back from an eight-point deficit with a surge to take a five-point lead with a couple minutes left, but the Horned Frogs fought to the bitter end and closed with a 12-0 run to enjoy a court storming and a 62-55 upset win over Iowa State.
The Cyclones, who did not make players available to the media following the game, snagged a 30-29 halftime lead with a last-second Joshua Jefferson basket in a first half where they led by as much as nine points, before TCU rumbled and made it a close contest the rest of the way.
Tamin Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson paced Iowa State with 12 points each. Milan Momcilovic added 11 points in the loss.
Here are five numbers that stood out in the loss:
55 — Single-game season-low points for Iowa State
There were stretches where the Cyclones looked good, leading by as much as nine points late in the first half, then their late-game stretch to lead by as much as five with 2:38 remaining, but other than that, they struggled to sustain long-term offensive momentum.
Iowa State's leading trio of Lipsey, Jefferson and Momcilovic combined for 35 points on 15-of-36 shooting and a 4-for-17 showing from deep.
As a team, the Cyclones shot 24-of-57 (42.1%) overall, 5-of-23 (21.7%) from deep and 2-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Iowa State's previous season low was 63 points in the loss to Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.
17 — Iowa State turnovers
Like other instances this season, TCU was tough and scrappy.
The Cyclones had good ball movement early, but seemed to be getting away from that in the second half. There was some one-on-one ball into traffic and uncharacteristic turnovers. TCU kept imposing itself.
The Cyclones committed 17 turnovers, their second-most of the season, only behind the Jan. 24 win over Oklahoma State, where they had 18 giveaways.
Jefferson tied a season-high six turnovers, which he also had against Baylor and Purdue earlier in the year. Jefferson had a couple of timely moments, but his miscues were glaring. He had 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting, eight rebounds, nine assists, three steals, two blocks, but six turnovers.
Lipsey had three turnovers, while Momcilovic and Killyan Toure had two each.
12 — Unanswered points by TCU over the final 2:14
With its back against the wall at the U-8 media timeout in the second half, Iowa State battled back.
The game appeared to be getting away from the Cyclones, who trailed 49-41 going into that brief intermission after TCU went on a 10-0 run.
The Cyclones responded with a big run to lead by five points with 2:38 to go, but things quickly fell apart from there. TCU got much-needed turnovers and defensive stops, then some clutch shooting by Jayden Pierre. Pierre had a turnaround jumper to trim it to one, then he followed up with the go-ahead 3-point basket with 48 seconds left.
Micah Robinson and Tanner Toolson added insurance points late to secure the win. TCU sealed it with a 12-0 run to finish the game.
17 — Points each by TCU's Micah Robinson and Tanner Toolson
Iowa State did a good job of limiting leading scorer David Punch, who had eight points on 4-of-8 shooting and five turnovers. Xavier Edmonds came in with a streak of five straight double-doubles and he was held to five points, seven boards and four turnovers.
TCU head coach Jamie Dixon shook up his starting five by putting in Micah Robinson and he delivered 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, with six boards, two steals and one turnover.
Tanner Toolson was a pest off the bench, playing with great energy and urgency. Toolson had 17 points, nine boards, three steals and went 10-of-15 from the free-throw line.
21.7% — Iowa State 3-point shooting percentage
It was another cold-shooting day for the Cyclones from long range. Iowa State shot 28.6% in its last game against Baylor, the Cyclones' third-lowest overall and lowest mark against a Big 12 opponent entering Tuesday's game.
Although it had that picturesque possession that resulted in the Momcilovic 3-pointer early in the game, the Cyclones never got going after that from beyond the arc.
Iowa State shot just 5-of-23 from deep against TCU. Some good looks just didn't drop, and that made things tougher in a tight battle with TCU.
Momcilovic finished 3-of-11 from deep. Killyan Toure was 1-of-2, while Jefferson was 1-for-3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 5 numbers from Iowa State basketball's loss to TCU