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Sports

Cyclones down top-seeded Kansas in Big 12 semis

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Manhattan, KS – Kansas City, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Georges Niang played like a warrior and left the game late with a battle wound.

Niang had 25 points and seven assists to lift the 16th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones over the 10th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, 94-83, in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

With 1:23 to play, Niang took an elbow to the face while taking a charge from Kansas guard Brannen Greene. Niang, bloodied, pumped his fist to the crowd as he left the court with a towel over his face.

"We love competing for championships," said Niang, who had a bandage above his right eye. "Coach says take it one day at a time. The Big 12 championship is in front of us and that's what we're looking forward for."

DeAndre Kane added 20 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Cyclones (25-7), who will take on Baylor in the title game on Saturday. Melvin Ejim tallied 19 points.

Perry Ellis ended with 30 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field for the Jayhawks (24-9), who got 22 points and seven boards from Andrew Wiggins.

"I just felt like we were on our heels defensively throughout the game," said Ellis. "I felt in the first half we did a lot better than the second half. We left too many straight line drives to the basket, I felt, in the second half."

Iowa State jumped out to a 23-16 lead, but the Jayhawks responded with a 20-3 run to take control.

The Cyclones came right back. Kane's three-point play sparked a 17-6 surge that Dustin Hogue capped with a jumper for a 43-42 lead.

Kansas quickly went back in front and took a 48-46 margin into the locker room.

Iowa State pulled away in the second half, starting the final period on a 20-9 run. Kane tallied eight points during the surge that Naz Long capped with a 3- pointer for a 66-57 edge.

The Jayhawks got within 79-72 with 5 1/2 minutes to play, but Iowa State scored the next five points. Kansas turned the ball over twice in that span.

The Cyclones went 7-of-8 from the foul line down the stretch to reach their first Big 12 tournament title game since 2000.

Game Notes

Iowa State went 0-2 against Kansas in the regular season ... The Cyclones shot 54 percent from the field and went 11-of-19 from beyond the arc ... The Jayhawks went 21-of-26 from the foul line.