A tale of two halves may be a cliche phrase, but sometimes it is accurate. Monday's game between No. 4 Auburn and No. 5 Iowa State was one of those times.

They had gone unchecked by their first three opponents, but third-ranked Auburn provided that stiff test on Monday night in a battle of top-five ranked teams in the quarterfinals of the Maui Invitational.

By the time Auburn took the lead with about four minutes to play, Iowa State snapped back into action, even taking an 81-79 lead with 50 seconds left off two Gilbert free-throws. But Auburn quickly answered, as Dylan Cardwell found Miles Kelly inside for a cutting layup, setting the stage for the pivotal last 30 seconds.