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Iowa State guard Bubu Palo charged with sexual abuse, suspended from team

Bubu Palo

Iowa State guard Bubu Palo has been charged with second-degree sexual abuse and suspended indefinitely from the Cyclone basketball team after turning himself in to police Friday, the Des Moines Register is reporting.

“I am extremely disappointed to learn of this allegation,” Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg said in a statement, “and he is suspended indefinitely for violating our department’s discipline policy.”

Palo, a 21-year-old native of Ames, Iowa, was released on a $25,000 bond this morning.

The alleged incident took place on May 18, according to the report from the Register, when Palo and another man, 21-year-old Spencer Cruise, offered to drive the female victim home, but instead took her to a home owned by Cruise’s family.

The report cites police records in saying that the two men “committed a sex act by force and against the victim’s will.”

Tests showed both Cruise and Palo’s DNA present on the evidence.

Palo originally joined the team as a walk-on, but earned a scholarship in the second semester of the 2011-12 season. He averaged 4.0 points and 1.5 assists per game for the Cyclones last season.

His best performance of the season came in a 10-point home win over Iowa in early December when he scored 14 points and added six assists.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_