Prohm loses to mentor, No. 14 Iowa St falls to No. 5 Aggies

Published Jan. 30, 2016 6:36 p.m. ET

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) Iowa State coach Steve Prohm tried to filter out the emotion of facing his mentor.

It was tough to do, at least until tip-off Saturday against former boss Billy Kennedy and No. 5 Texas A&M.

''Once you start the game, you're more engaged with your team,'' Prohm said after his No. 14 Cyclones lost 72-62 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Danuel House scored 20 points, including a go-ahead 3 late in the second half for Texas A&M (18-3).

''This was a big opportunity to get a big road win against a really good team,'' Prohm said.

''We weren't perfect offensively, but we played hard and competed for the most part. (The Aggies) weren't the better team until the final few minutes,'' he said.

Star forward Georges Niang scored 15 points for the Cyclones (16-5). He picked up his fourth foul with 11:43 left in the second half, and fouled out with 1:39 to go and A&M leading 65-60.

Niang, guarded most of the game by Jalen Jones, was held five points below his average.

The Aggies, who left the Big 12 for the SEC in the summer of 2012, finished 4-0 against the Big 12 this season. They defeated old conference foes Texas, Kansas State, Baylor and now Iowa State.

The teams hadn't played since February 2012, just prior to the Aggies leaving the Big 12.

Prohm was Kennedy's top assistant at Murray State. Prohm took over that program four years ago when Kennedy left the Racers for A&M.

Prohm is in his first season at Iowa State, and the close friends had never coached against each other.

The Aggies trailed 58-56 before House hit from beyond the arc with about four minutes left. On their next possession, the senior guard worked his way inside for a layup.

House's two free throws with 2:29 remaining made it 63-58. House later missed a short jumper, and freshman Tyler Davis tipped it in for a seven-point lead.

Jones had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Davis scored 15 points for Texas A&M.

The Aggies, who left the Big 12 for the SEC in the summer of 2012, finished 4-0 against the Big 12 this season. They defeated old conference foes Texas, Kansas State, Baylor and now Iowa State.

The teams hadn't played since February 2012, just prior to the Aggies leaving the Big 12.

Deonte Burton added 11 points for the Cyclones. They had 16 turnovers, including five by Abdel Nader.

The Aggies dominated in points off of turnovers (21-4), and held a 40-34 edge in points in the paint.

TIP-INS

Texas A&M: Kennedy earned his 300th career victory. He has previously coached at Centenary, Southeastern Louisiana and Murray State, and owns a 300-243 record. ... The Aggies are 13-0 at home this season. ... The attendance of 12,473 was the largest nonconference crowd in the history of Reed Arena, which opened in 1998.

UP NEXT

Iowa State hosts West Virginia on Tuesday.

Texas A&M plays at Vanderbilt on Thursday.