Cyclones down top-seeded Kansas in Big 12 semis
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
"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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
"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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
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.