No. 10 Iowa State Secures 77-65 Victory Over UCF With Dominant Second Half

The Cyclones overcame a halftime scare with balanced scoring and strong defense to hand UCF its fifth consecutive loss.

Iowa State improved to 19-5 overall and 9-4 in the Big 12 after outscoring UCF 45-35 in the second half of the game.
Keshon Gilbert led the Cyclones with 15 points, while Joshua Jefferson contributed 13 points and eight rebounds in a balanced team performance.
UCF's Keyshawn Hall scored a game-high 22 points, including 14 in the second half, but the Knights struggled from beyond the arc, making only 23.1% of their 3-point attempts.
The Cyclones dominated the paint, securing 11 offensive rebounds for 15 second-chance points and outscoring UCF 38-34 inside.
The loss marks UCF's fifth straight defeat, further jeopardizing their NCAA Tournament hopes as they fall to 13-11 overall and 4-9 in conference play.