Kunc, No. 19 Iowa St beat another rated team, top No. 22 TCU

Updated Feb. 15, 2023 11:35 p.m. ET

Associated Press

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Aljaz Kunc had career highs of 22 points and five 3-pointers in his first start in nearly two months, and No. 19 Iowa State never trailed in a 70-59 win over 22nd-ranked TCU on Wednesday night.

The Cyclones won their nation-best seventh game against a Top 25 opponent.

Jaren Holmes added 16 points for the Cyclones (17-8, 8-5), who took sole possession of fourth place in the Big 12, one game behind co-leaders Kansas, Texas and Baylor.

TCU (17-9, 6-7) lost its fourth straight while playing its fifth game without injured conference preseason player of the year and leading scorer Mike Miles Jr.

Kunc, playing his fourth game since missing six weeks with a broken finger, made four of his 3s in the first half and hit his fifth midway through the second to restore the Cyclones' double-digit lead after TCU erased much of a 21-point deficit.

The Horned Frogs got 15 points from Shahada Wells and 13 from Micah Peavy.

The Cyclones swept the season series. Gabe Kalscheur's 3-pointer with 2 seconds to play gave Iowa State a 69-67 win at TCU on Jan. 7.

There was no drama in the return game at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State got out to a quick 15-2 lead, withstood a TCU run that made it a one-point game and then outscored the Horned Frogs 29-12 spanning the halves to win for the first time in three games.

BIG PICTURE

TCU: The Horned Frogs are on their longest losing streak since they dropped four in a row to end the 2020-21 season. Help is on the way. Miles, who averages 18 points per game, is expected to return Saturday for a home game against Oklahoma State.

Iowa State: The Cyclones, one of the top defensive teams in the nation, never let TCU's vaunted fast break get going and have won 11 straight when holding its opponent under 60 points.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Iowa State entered the game off losses in four of five games but was in total control and could make a big jump if it knocks off No. 12 Kansas State on Saturday. The Horned Frogs' status as a Top 25 team is in peril as it began a three-games-in-six-days stretch.

HOME SWEET HILTON

The game was the 800th in program history in Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones' home arena since 1971. The Cyclones own a 595-205 record at Hilton and is 13-1 at home this season.

UP NEXT

TCU: hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday looking to avenge its 79-73 loss two weeks ago.

Iowa State: visits No. 12 Kansas State, which it beat 80-76 in Ames last month.

___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25