AMES, Iowa — There isn't a team in the country that's better at big comebacks than Iowa State.
The fourth-ranked Cyclones pulled off another stunner on Thursday, beating back the rival Hawkeyes with a furious late surge.
Monte Morris hit a runner with nine seconds left and Iowa State rallied from a 20-point deficit to down Iowa 83-82 on Thursday night.
Morris and Jameel McKay each had 20 points for the Cyclones (8-0), who scored the game's final nine points to remain unbeaten.
But rallies like that are nothing new for these Cyclones, who roared back from 21 down to stun Oklahoma and 17 down to beat Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament title game last March.
"As long as there is time on the clock, we always have a chance to win," McKay said.
It took a huge spurt just to get the Cyclones in position to steal another one.
A 30-11 run brought Iowa State within 82-81 with 51 seconds left. Morris then drove the lane and floated in the go-ahead shot, which the Cyclones made stand with one final defensive stop.
Jarrod Uthoff scored 30 of his 32 points in the first half for Iowa (7-3), which has lost seven straight in Ames.
"We couldn't get stops," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "They did a really good job capitalizing on our mistakes."
This was Iowa State's first major test in a season that promises to be full of them.
But the Cyclones couldn't find anyone early on who could slow down Uthoff.
They won anyway.
Uthoff, fresh off scoring a career-high 27 points on Monday, had 20 points in the first 12 minutes — hitting his first eight shots to help Iowa take a 37-19 lead.
Peter Jok then opened the second half with four straight 3s to help put Iowa back on top 62-42.
The Cyclones finally figured out how to slow Uthoff down in the second half, and that blistering late run got them within a point.
Matt Thomas hit a 3 with 59 seconds left to make it 82-79. Georges Niang then hit a pair of free throws, and Morris capped off the comeback with a shot that Cyclones fans won't soon forget.
"That's 'Big Game Tay,'" McKay said, referencing Morris's nickname. "We all wanted him to take the shot. As long as he was taking it, it was going in. He's that confident of a dude."
Jok had 18 points for Iowa. Thomas scored 19 for the Cyclones, and Niang had 16.
TIP-INS
Iowa: The Hawkeyes hit six of their first seven shots. ... Iowa's size gave Iowa State plenty of problems early. The Hawkeyes hit 13 of their first 14 shots inside the 3-point line. ... Iowa's three losses have come by a combined 12 points.
Iowa State: The Cyclones were as sloppy with the ball as they've been all season in the first half, committing 10 turnovers in the first 16 minutes. ... Coach Steve Prohm is now the first Iowa State coach to start his tenure with eight consecutive wins. "This was a great moment, a neat moment," Prohm said.
STAR POWER
Uthoof's 30 first-half points would've tied for the third-best overall output in McCaffery's seven seasons at Iowa. Uthoff was so hot that someone hacked Iowa State basketball's Wikipedia page and switched the Cyclones' arena listing to "Jarrod Uthoff's house." But Iowa State kept Uthoff from getting clean looks in the second half, and it ended up costing the Hawkeyes.
COURSTSIDE
Iowa State's fans stormed the court after the win, which may have proved costly to longtime Des Moines Register reporter Randy Peterson. He was carried off on a stretcher with what the paper called an apparent broken leg.
UP NEXT
Iowa: Plays Drake in Des Moines next Saturday.
Iowa State: Faces Northern Iowa, also in Des Moines, next Saturday.
