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Cincinnati upsets No. 19 Iowa State

Cincinnati v Iowa State

AMES, IA - DECEMBER 1: Gary Clark #11 of the Cincinnati Bearcats passes the ball around Darrell Bowie #10, and Matt Thomas #21 of the Iowa State Cyclones in the first half of play at Hilton Coliseum on December 1, 2016 in Ames, Iowa.(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)

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There was no Hilton Magic on Thursday night.

Cincinnati scored the last four points in the final 2:24 of overtime to upset No. 19 Iowa State. It was the first time in 38 games that a non-conference opponent came into Ames and left win a win.

The Cyclones have dropped two straight, while the Bearcats landed a signature, non-conference road victory.

Iowa State led for the most of the night, but left the door open for Cincinnati at the end of regulation and in the final moments of overtime. The Cyclones hadn’t scored in almost 90 seconds when Matt Thomas came up with a steal with less than 30 ticks to play. However, he got trapped just over half court, and quickly turned it over. Jacob Evans later converted on a game-tying bucket.

The Cyclones still had time for a final possession, but instead of Monte Morris attacking a defense that had not yet set up, they settled for a Naz Mitrou-Long three. He was one of two starters who did not score on the evening.

In the extra frame, Iowa State took a 54-51 led with 2:24 remaining after Deonte Burton cleaned up Morris’ missed fastbreak layup. However, in the ensuing possessions, Burton and Morris both settled for isolation jumpers. In between those two plays was a layup from Kevin Johnson, that cut the deficit to 54-53, and a pair of free throws by Evans that put the Bearcats up 55-54. Again, Iowa State was left with time to produce another Hilton Magic-esque ending. Even with 20 seconds remaining, they waited too long, and had to settle for another 3-pointer from Mitrou-Long that was off the mark. A scrum unfolded on the ground, and while Iowa State was looking for a held ball, the officials determined the clock expired.

Iowa State’s last two losses have come with questionable decisions down the stretch. In the AdvoCare Invitational championship game on Sunday against then-No. 11 Gonzaga, the Cyclones, who nearly erased an 18-point second half deficit, failed to get a shot off on the final possession despite having 14 seconds to work with. Thursday night’s late-game execution wasn’t any better.

In the end, Cincinnati landed a rare win inside Hilton Coliseum. This is an important victory, especially after Mick Cronin’s team blew a halftime lead against then-No. 21 Rhode Island in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off two weeks ago. That loss meant the Bearcats either had to defeat No. 19 Iowa State inside Hilton, or knock off No. 18 Butler inside Hinkle Fieldhouse the following week in order to score a marquee win before AAC play.

The Bearcats did the former, and could possibly be back in the top-25 by the time they take on the Bulldogs on Dec. 10.