Kansas guard Shakeel Moore (0) drives past Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Ames, Iowa — After Kansas committed 10 turnovers in the first half against Iowa State, center Hunter Dickinson threw passes away on each of the Jayhawks’ first two second-half possessions.

KU mounted a 9-0 run early in the second half to cut its then-game-high 12-point deficit down to three points, but the Jayhawks never got closer. And it was often because of their tendency to cough the ball up or foul at key moments as they committed 17 turnovers — their second-highest total of the season — and 17 fouls and lost 74-57 on Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum.

Elevated into the starting lineup by an injury to wing Milan Momcilovic, second-ranked ISU’s already high-scoring guard Curtis Jones found another level early on Wednesday, torching the Jayhawks for 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting in the first half — only to go scoreless for the first 18 minutes and 35 seconds of the second period. His teammates picked up the slack, and with just over four minutes remaining, center Dishon Jackson’s offensive rebound to set up a crucial 3-pointer by Tamin Lipsey that helped the Cyclones put KU away.

Lipsey finished with 10 points and Jackson 17, as forward Joshua Jefferson completed a double-double at 10 points and 12 rebounds.

KU guard Zeke Mayo posted his best road-game performance of the year with 17 points, though they came on just 7-for-19 shooting and he was the only KU scorer in double digits. Dickinson was limited to six points and eight rebounds with four fouls and four turnovers.

Three early turnovers and a missed layup hampered KU’s offense in the opening minutes, but Mayo put the Jayhawks ahead 7-6 out of the under-16 timeout on a midrange jumper.

As the half approached its midway point, Jones hit back-to-back 3s to push the Cyclones in front 15-11 and lift them out of a bit of a slump. Jones sank his first six shots to account for 14 of the Cyclones’ opening 24 points.

With KU struggling to score and a frustrated head coach Bill Self cycling through players rapidly, ISU took an eight-point lead on a 3-pointer by Keshon Gilbert, forcing KU to call a timeout with 5:18 left in the first half. The Jayhawks stopped the bleeding with a second-chance 3 by Dajuan Harris Jr. off KJ Adams’ third offensive rebound of the first half.

Mayo and Rylan Griffen connected from deep in succession to bring the Cyclones’ lead to two points, but then Gilbert rattled in a floater and a deadly pre-halftime sequence sank the Jayhawks: Harris and Dickinson botched a dribble handoff to set up one 3 by Jones, then the Cyclones outmuscled the Jayhawks for a loose ball to lead to another. Dickinson missed a pair of attempts at the rim in the final seconds and ISU took its largest lead of the game, 10 points, into halftime.

KU was flatlining in the opening minutes of the second half before a contested 3-pointer by Mayo, missed dunk by ISU’s Jefferson and alley-oop layup by Flory Bidunga brought the Jayhawks’ deficit back to 42-37.

Shakeel Moore banked in a floater as the Cyclones’ scoring drought extended beyond five minutes, but Jefferson brought it to an end, benefiting from a fumble by David Coit for a layup that made it 44-39.

KU’s offense started to stagnate again and the Cyclones took advantage, embarking on a 9-2 run aided by a string of free throws. Griffen and AJ Storr injected some much-needed energy off the bench, but the Jayhawks let a series of offensive rebounds fall by the wayside on a key possession that could have reduced ISU’s lead to two or three points. After that, the Cyclones seized control.

The Jayhawks, who fell to 12-4 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play, will return home to face Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse at noon on Saturday.

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