Peter Jok scores 23, Iowa upsets No. 25 Iowa State
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Peter Jok scored 23 points and Iowa upset 25th-ranked Iowa State 78-64 on Thursday, snapping a three-game losing streak against its instate rival.
Isaiah Moss had 14 points to help the Hawkeyes (5-5) beat a Power Five opponent for this first time this season.
Iowa shot 59 percent in the first half, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range, and jumped ahead by as much as 46-29. The Cyclones (6-3) slowly chipped away at that deficit in the second half, but a 7-0 run by the Hawkeyes after Iowa State got to 60-53 finished them off.
Matt Thomas scored 14 points to lead the Cyclones, who were just 8-of-30 from 3-point range. Ball movement was again an issue for Iowa State, which had just nine assists on 25 made baskets - although it did miss about a dozen layups.
THE BIG PICTURE
Iowa State: The Cyclones looked awful in the first half - which they closed quite fittingly with an air ball - and they couldn't shoot their way out of trouble. Stretches like that are starting to become commonplace for Iowa State, and that's a bad omen with Big 12 play a few weeks away.
Iowa: After getting hammered by the likes of Virginia and Notre Dame, the Hawkeyes finally put it together against a good opponent. The Hawkeyes beat Iowa State in transition and on the defensive glass, and their freshman-dominated lineup was hardly fazed in their debuts in this heated rivalry.
UP NEXT
Iowa State plays Drake in Des Moines on Dec. 17. The Bulldogs are reeling after coach Ray Giacoletti abruptly resigned Tuesday less than four years into his tenure.
Iowa also will play in next weekend's doubleheader in the state capital, facing Northern Iowa on Saturday.