Ames, Iowa ? Things didn’t start particularly well for Sasha Kaun on Saturday.

Kansas University’s junior center picked up two early fouls, committed two turnovers and finished with just two points and two rebounds the entire first half.

By game’s end, however, the 6-foot-11 Kaun had rallied to score 13 points, grab five rebounds and hold his own against big man Jiri Hubalek, playing a pivotal 26-minute role in the Jayhawks’ 68-64 overtime victory at Iowa State.

“Those fouls are always around, always around,” said Kaun, who picked up his second with 13:25 left in the first half and sat the rest of the stanza. “You’ve just got to keep your head in the game and think positive and try to play it smart.”

Kaun, who also had a big game Wednesday in scoring 16 against Oklahoma State, kept KU afloat during a tough time Saturday. He scored four straight points immediately after a timeout with 5:39 left, his flurry keeping KU close, 53-52.

He also hit a basket and missed a foul shot with 1:41 left in regulation, erasing a two-point ISU lead. And he made one of two free throws in OT, tying the score at 61.

“The free throws : I’ve just got to keep practicing them,” said Kaun, who made one of five on a day the Jayhawks hit 14 of 24. “We didn’t shoot well today, so we had to stick it out and come away with a win.”

KU, which shot 41.9 percent to ISU’s 37.1 percent, survived a three-point barrage from Iowa State. The Cyclones made 10 of 29 threes. Dodie Dunson made three of four and Mike Taylor four of 16.

“I think it was one of those things where the crowd was into it,” Kaun said of the gritty Cyclones (11-6, 2-1) staying close to the No. 6 Jayhawks (15-2, 2-0). “It was a tough environment.”

Kaun faced a tough matchup in Hubalek, who scored 13 points with eight rebounds. Hubalek hails from the Czech Republic; Kaun is a native Russian.

“I didn’t know that until the introductions,” Kaun said of Hubalek’s home country. “I was trying to get position and give some presence inside. He’s a good player.”