Iowa State men's basketball falls to No. 13 Texas A&M at ESPN Events Invitational
The Iowa State men's basketball team lost to No. 13 Texas A&M 73-69 on Sunday at the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Fla.
Solomon Washington led A&M with 18 points and Wade Taylor IV scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half as A&M rallied from a 21-point, first-half deficit in the third-place game of the tournament.
Curtis Jones’ long-range jumper and layup put Iowa State up 35-14 with 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the first half. He finished with 12 points.
The Cyclones still led by 10 points at halftime before faltering in the second half.
“I don’t have a great answer for it,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said of the Cyclones’ 9-for-33 shooting in the second half. “We were really confident making those shots in the first half. We’ve got to stay the course and continue it in the second half.”
Milan Momcilovic led Iowa State (5-2) with 15 points but he needed 14 shots to do it. Momcilovic was 4-of-13 from 3-point range. The Cyclones shot 2-for-19 from distance in the second half after making 7-of-15 in the first half.
Keshon Gilbert added 14 points for the Cyclones. Iowa State point guard Tamin Lipsey continued his strong work on the boards, leading the Cyclones with 14 rebounds. He also had 10 points and four assists.
It was a rough shooting night all around for both teams, including at the free-throw line. The Aggies missed 10 of their 25 foul shots, and the Cyclones weren't much better at 18-of-27 (67%).
Iowa State travels to Chicago to play DePaul on Friday as part of the Big East/Big 12 Battle.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State men's basketball falls to No. 13 Texas A&M in Florida
