Iowa History Daily: On January 13, 1988, Johnny Orr’s no. 14 Iowa State took down no. 16 Kansas at a raucous Hilton Coliseum. A balanced ISU attack featuring Jeff Grayer overcame a 32 points performance from Danny Manning to ensure a Cyclone victory.
Orr entered his eighth season at Iowa State with a veteran squad captained by Grayer and Gary Tompkins. The Cyclones got off to a hot start, notching notable wins over no. 2 Purdue and no. 7 Iowa. Entering the Big 8 rivalry game against the Jayhawks at 13-2, Orr’s ISU stood ready to meet the expectations of a sold out Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones raced out to a big lead early, pushing the advantage to 17 points late in the first half and frustrating Manning. After the Jayhawk superstar picked up a technical foul, he helped chipped away at the Cyclone lead to cut the deficit to six with four minutes to go. Fouling out on an intentional foul with :36 to play, Manning told reporters after the game: “It’s tough to play here.”
Iowa State, beating Larry Brown’s Jayhawks for the fifth consecutive time in Ames, benefited from five scorers in double-figures. Elmer Robinson put in 20 points, while Lefester Rhodes notched 19, Grayer dropped 15, Tompkins added another 13, and Mike Born chipped in 10. The Cyclones went on to earn a trip to the NCAA tournament with an overall record of 20-12 on the season. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
