The No. 13 Iowa State Cyclones didn’t shoot their standard percentage from the three-point line, but they remained unbeaten on the year as the 13-0 Cyclones held off Texas Tech to pick up a 73-62 road win in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
The Cyclones were held below their season average of 88 points and only shot 26 percent (5-for-19) from three-point territory, but Iowa State was able to win by limiting themselves to five turnovers and getting a balanced scoring effort.
After jumping out to a 44-29 halftime lead, Iowa State went without a field goal for over five minutes and let Texas Tech back in the game as the game was tied at 50 with 11 minutes to go.
But the Cyclones hit the gas and blew past the Red Raiders the rest of the game as an 8-0 run put them ahead for good. Georges Niang paced four double-digit scorers for Iowa State with 17 points along with solid scoring efforts from Melvin Ejim (16 points), DeAndre Kane (15 points) and Monte Morris (11 points).
This is a solid win for Iowa State to open the Big 12 season because they were able to win without shooting the ball particularly well from the perimeter. Texas Tech withstood the Cyclones’ first-half barrage and fought back, but for Iowa State to make a run and close the game out on the road is a positive sign for the Cyclones.