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Dylan Disu's late heroics can't save Texas basketball in home loss to Iowa State

thomas jones, austin american-statesman
·2 min read
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Despite some late heroics from Texas forward Dylan Disu, Iowa State held on for a 70-65 win Tuesday at Moody Center.

Disu, a 6-foot-9 graduate forward from Pflugerville, scored 22 of his 28 points in the second half to pull Texas within three points several times in the waning moments of the game. At one point, Disu scored 16 straight points as the Longhorns almost erased a deficit that had ballooned to 18 points with less than 15 minutes left in the game.

Texas forward Dylan Disu, left, drives toward the basket against Iowa State guard Demarion Watson in Tuesday's Big 12 game at Moody Center. Iowa State held on for a 70-65 win despite 28 points from Disu.
Texas forward Dylan Disu, left, drives toward the basket against Iowa State guard Demarion Watson in Tuesday's Big 12 game at Moody Center. Iowa State held on for a 70-65 win despite 28 points from Disu.

But Disu didn’t get enough help against a suffocating Iowa State defense that kept every other Longhorn under wraps in a loss that sapped any momentum seized with last Saturday’s thrilling road win at TCU.

Home cooking hasn’t agreed with Texas (15-8, 4-6 Big 12) all conference season, and Tuesday’s matchup against visiting Iowa State (17-5, 6-3) proved no different. Texas can’t wait to get on the road again, based on its results in Moody Center. The Longhorns are now 1-4 in Big 12 games in Austin, which doesn’t bode well for Saturday’s meeting with visiting West Virginia.

Texas forward Dillon Mitchell tries to escape a double-team from Iowa State in Tuesday's Big 12 contest at Moody Center. Iowa State held on for a 70-65 win.
Texas forward Dillon Mitchell tries to escape a double-team from Iowa State in Tuesday's Big 12 contest at Moody Center. Iowa State held on for a 70-65 win.

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The first half alone felt like a full day of manual labor for the Longhorns, who struggled against Iowa State’s relentless man-to-man defense. More specifically, it felt like a full day of laying bricks. Texas made just eight of 27 shots while falling behind 36-19 at the half.

The guard tandem of Max Abmas and Tyrese Hunter, which averages almost 30 points a game, went a combined 0-for-11 in the first half without a point. Texas’ struggles went beyond scoring; Iowa State dominated the glass 19-13 in the first half, and the Longhorns turned the ball over nine times before halftime.

Things didn’t get much better for anyone except Disu in the second half, even if Abmas did reach 13 points, mainly by making all seven of his free-throw attempts.

Dillon MItchell (10 points, 5 rebounds) was the only other Longhorn to make more than three baskets.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Dylan Disu leads a late comeback but Texas basketball falls to Iowa State