After two impressive wins against conference opponents, Texas fell victim to the strength of the Big 12 on Tuesday night.

At the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, No. 19 Texas (20-6, 9-4 Big 12) had trouble pulling past No. 17 Iowa State (20-5, 8-5 Big 12), falling to the Cyclones 85-76. 

Texas failed to control the Big 12’s leading scorer, Melvin Ejim, who coming into Tuesday’s contest averaged 18.9 points per game. Ejim tallied 25 points and eight rebounds, leading Iowa State to a split in the season series with Texas. But Ejim wasn’t the only player who gave the Longhorns trouble; a total of three Cyclones passed the 20-point mark on the night.

Iowa State controlled the first frame of the top-25 matchup as Texas shot just 27 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes. Down by nine to start the second half, the Longhorns traded baskets with the Cyclones to remain close for the rest of the game, but could never pull past Iowa State, despite tieing the game with 14 minutes left.

The last 10 minutes created the large final-score gap for the Cyclones. Iowa State went on a 12-4 run in that span of the game to secure their 20th win of the season.

Freshman guard Isaiah Taylor led Texas with a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Cameron Ridley, who averaged 14.5 points per game in the last two contests, recorded just four points and five rebounds against Iowa State as Texas shot a mere 32.9 percent from the floor. 

The Longhorns now face losing two straight for the first time since the start of Big 12 play as they travel to Lawrence, Kan., to face the Jayhawks on Saturday.