No. 7 Texas took on No. 12 Iowa State in Ames, Iowa Tuesday night in transfer sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter’s first time back at Hilton Coliseum.

It was yet to be determined if the Cyclone faithful would boo or applaud him for leading the team to the Sweet 16 last season. The answer to that question was quickly answered, as Hunter was met with a chorus of boo’s every time he touched the ball.

That didn’t seem to get to Hunter, however, as he scored nine of Texas’ first 20 points with two three pointers and a three-point play the old fashioned way.

He also added an assist, helping give the Longhorns an early lead, something that has been absent in recent games. Texas’ last two games against then-No. 16 TCU and Texas Tech were come-from-behind wins in which the Longhorns trailed by double digits.

As the game progressed, the referees tightened things up, calling 12 fouls in just as many minutes, putting both teams in the bonus for the remainder of the half.

Texas built up a double-digit lead of their own with the help of the bench. Senior forward Christian Bishop and graduate student guard Sir’Jabari Rice contributed 14 points in the first half.

The lead wouldn’t last long though as Iowa State went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to just one, bringing the crowd back into the game as well.

The Cyclones, who have forced the most turnovers in the Big 12 this season with 19.4 per game, helped give Iowa St. a 36-35 lead with 1:09 to go in the opening half by stripping the ball from Texas.

Gabe Kalscheur, graduate student guard and Marcus Carr’s teammate for three seasons at Minnesota, has averaged 19 points per game since Big 12 play started for the Cyclones, and his scoring didn’t slow down against the Longhorns. He ended the half with a game-leading 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, maintaining Iowa State’s lead of one at halftime.

Texas surrendering their lead was due in large part to their extended field goal drought that lasted the final 7:28 of the first half.

Coming out of the break, the Longhorns got their touch back, but Iowa State continued to scorch Texas as the Cyclones built their lead to six before the under-16 media timeout.

This game was in danger of getting away from Texas, but a couple of good possessions brought the game even once again.

However, the Longhorns eventually fell cold after another long scoring drought, and the Cyclones quickly took advantage. Their stifling defense didn’t allow Texas to play how they wanted, and Kalscheur, Jaren Holmes and Caleb Grill continued to click from deep.

With 4:33 remaining, Iowa State had a nine point lead as the Longhorns’ drought reached four minutes.

Finally, a couple of Bishop free throws gave Texas some momentum, but a couple of offensive fouls on Carr and senior forward Timmy Allen all but sealed the deal.

The lead had reached 12, and the Longhorns had gone over 11 minutes without making a field goal.

The crowd got even more of a delight as Hunter missed a couple of shots at the end. After his initial outburst in the opening minutes, Hunter didn’t record another point, making his return to Ames underwhelming.

A roar erupted when the clock struck triple zero’s as the Longhorns fell 78-67 and dropped to 4–2 in conference play. Their next chance to get back on track will come Saturday on the road against West Virginia.