Associated Press
COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL
MINNEAPOLIS — Iowa State is inexperienced, just like Minnesota, but Mike Taylor and the Cyclones gave the Gophers a lesson in late-game performance.
Taylor had 25 of his 33 points in the second half, helping Iowa State come back from a double-digit deficit to beat Minnesota 68-63 on Tuesday.
Spencer Tollackson scored a career-high 24 points and pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds, and Lawrence McKenzie added 15 points for Minnesota (2-1).
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Tollackson, whose status was in question after hurting his foot in Friday’s game against Long Island, threw down a dunk to give the Gophers their biggest lead, 35-25, about 3 minutes into the second half. The bulky, bearded 6-foot-9 junior traded chest bumps with several teammates as he bounced over to the bench for a time-out.
But Taylor kept the Cyclones (5-0) in it. He tied the game on a 3-pointer with just under 6 minutes remaining and finished 6-for-13 from behind the arc.
Though he had six turnovers and is responsible for 34 of his team’s 75 giveaways this season and can be caught playing out of control, Taylor — who went 13-for-27 from the field — has the green light to shoot from coach Greg McDermott.
The whole team showed a little bit of swagger down the stretch in the first road game, playing tight defense and speeding up the tempo after a slower approach earlier.
Tollackson missed two short shots underneath right before the 2-minute mark, the second off a rebound. Taylor’s 3-pointer on the next possession bounced high off the back of the rim and, luckily for him, down through the net to put Iowa State ahead for good, 61-58.
